[Patient's Knowledge after Informed Consent for Intravitreal Injections]. / Intravitreale Injektionen ­ welche Informationen aus dem Aufklärungsgespräch bleiben Patienten im Gedächtnis?

BACKGROUND: Intravitreal treatment (IVT) is one of the most common ophthalmological procedures. Therapeutic effectiveness is however dependent on patient compliance. Unwanted treatment cessation rates are high though. The authors therefore decided to analyse the patient's knowledge and treatment expectations, as discrepancies are known to negatively affect compliance and thus treatment outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was designed as an exploratory survey. In total, 100 patients presenting to an outpatient clinic of a tertiary care centre from October to December 2016 were included. A structured, anonymised questionnaire was handed out, consisting mainly of question items with closed code lists as response domains. Solely descriptive analysis of results was performed. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 73 years. 70% had received more than 3 IVTs in at least one eye. Age-related macula degeneration was the most common underlying cause (52%). 64% expected improvement of visual acuity after IVT. 42% could not name one medication used in their IVT. 55% felt that the information provided during informed consent had been adequate. 69% did not know the post-surgical occurrence of endophthalmitis. Three patients were confident of being able to drive a car directly after IVT. CONCLUSION: Patient's knowledge of their underlying disease, treatment goals and complications rates exhibited some deficiencies. Standardised patient information sheets could be of significant use and were actively suggested by patients to improve the informed consent process.

[The Importance of the Preoperative Information from a Patient's Perspective - a Structured Interview of 100 Ophthalmological University-Based Outpatients]. / Die Erwartungen an das Aufklärungsgespräch aus Patientensicht ­ strukturierte Befragung von 100 Patienten einer ophthalmologischen Universitätsambulanz.

BACKGROUND: The patient's knowledge about their illness, as well as their expectations regarding pre-intervention, consultation and treatment, may differ from the physician's assumptions. Therefore, it is of great importance that the physician can identify misconceptions and missing knowledge and to focus on those points in the preoperative consultation, as well as meeting patient expectations as to the consultation itself. The aim of this study was to identify such expectations and the knowledge gaps of patients scheduled for ophthalmologic treatment. METHOD: An anonymous questionnaire containing predominantly closed questions was handed out to 100 patients in an ophthalmological outpatient clinic of a tertiary care center. Answers were mostly single choice items on a rating scale. RESULTS: 55% of patients had received ophthalmological interventions prior to receiving the questionnaire; 36% received more than two. More than half had not informed themselves about the planned procedure prior to their appointment. They were worried the most about complications (59%) and least about the anaesthesia (29%). When asked, patients attributed the highest priority to provision of information regarding complications and most often requested information on implications of the planned surgery on daily activities. CONCLUSION: Roughly half of the patients came without having informed themselves prior to the consultation. A comprehensive explanation with regard to success rates and possible post-surgical impairments appears to be essential. Possibilities of new media, such as the internet, surprisingly do not seem to be of importance to patients in this context.