Publication Date
1-28-2019
Keywords
hysterectomy, patient education, patient expectations, gynecology, patient-centered outcomes
Abstract
Purpose: Previous reports indicate many women may not have a firm grasp on likely outcomes of different hysterectomy procedures. This study aimed to assess women’s self-reported expectations of how they think their anatomy will change after hysterectomy.
Methods: Women scheduled for hysterectomy at a tertiary care hospital, for non-oncological reasons, reported their planned procedure type and the organs they understood would be removed 2 weeks prior to surgery. Patient reports and electronic medical records were reviewed, and kappa statistics (κ) were calculated to assess agreement for all women and within subgroups.
Results: Most of the 456 study participants (mean age: 48.02 ± 8.29 years) were either white/Caucasian (n = 238, 52.2%) or African American (n = 196, 43.0%). Among the 145 participants who reported a partial hysterectomy, 130 (89.7%) women indicated that their uterus would be removed and 52 (35.9%) reported that their cervix would be removed. Of those whose response was total hysterectomy (n = 228), 208 (91.2%) participants reported their uterus would be removed and 143 (62.7%) reported their cervix would be removed. Among 144 women reporting a planned partial hysterectomy, only 15 (10.4%, κ = 0.05) had a partial hysterectomy recorded in the electronic medical record. Among the 228 women who reported a planned total hysterectomy, 6.1% (κ = 0.05) had a different procedure. While 125 participants reported planned ovary removal, only 93 (74.4%, κ = 0.55) had an oophorectomy. Similarly, 290 participants reported planned fallopian tube removal, with 276 (95.2%, κ = 0.06) having a salpingectomy.
Conclusions: A considerable proportion of women undergoing hysterectomy do not accurately report the organs that are planned be removed during their hysterectomy. This work demonstrates the need to improve patient understanding of their clinical care and its implications.
Recommended Citation
Kassem Z, Coleman CM, Bossick AS, Su WT, Sangha R, Wegienka G. Patient perceptions of planned organ removal during hysterectomy. J Patient Cent Res Rev. 2019;6:28-35. doi: 10.17294/2330-0698.1658
Included in
Clinical Epidemiology Commons, Medical Anatomy Commons, Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Surgery Commons, Women's Health Commons
Submitted
September 25th, 2018
Accepted
November 30th, 2018
