Abstract
Spinal Anesthesia (SA) is a common type of anesthesia that is frequently used for surgeries of the lower abdomen, lower extremities, and perineal area. Spinal anesthesia offers fewer side effects and risks than General Anesthesia (GA). Patients usually recover their senses much faster with SA (MedlinePlus, 2017). Some patients often refuse SA due to fears and misconceptions. These misconceptions are related to a lack of education and resources available to patients. It is crucial that anesthesia providers learn to adequately educate patients preoperatively on the use of SA. Anesthesia providers in a community hospital in southern Illinois educated patients preoperatively about the use of SA with a pamphlet and video created by the author. Anesthesia providers who utilized the educational video and pamphlet were given a survey after one month. A total of eight anesthesia providers completed the survey. Five were CRNAs (62%) and three were anesthesiologists (37%). All the participants agreed that the material was at an appropriate reading level for patients and that the method was effective. The majority (62%) of participants found the materials to neither increase nor decrease the time of pre-anesthetic interviewing. A multimodal approach for preoperative education in SA can improve patient knowledge
