Patient awareness, disease-specific knowledge, and patient adherence to endovascular treated elective infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm

Aim: Patient awareness and disease-specific knowledge are essential for shared decision-making of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. With this pilot survey, we aimed to figure out the obstacles to patient's awareness about the aortic aneurysm before and after the procedure. Material and Methods: Patients who experienced elective endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) in our Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic between 2019 to 2023 were the selected patient cohort. The first 50 patients who visited our outpatient clinic were given a questionnaire about their awareness of the aneurysm disease, disease-specific knowledge, and the comprehensibility of the patient information provided before and after the procedure. Results: The mean age of our patients was 66±6.9. Younger patients were more aware of the situation before the information (p=0.013). Patients anxious about the disease were also more conscious about the aortic aneurysm (p=0.02). Although all patients were given preoperative information and disease-specific information by the same team, 13 patients (26%) could not recall anything about the disease and did not recall what operation was performed and why. Thirty-seven patients (74%) gained awareness about the disease. The patients with at least an educational level above high school gained more awareness than others (p=0.04). Conclusion: The Classical informatory model seems insufficient for gaining awareness and consciousness for older patients and with patients with low level of education. Strengthened patient-practitioner interaction with supplemental technologies (leaflets, interactive media, audio tapes, etc.) may improve these patients' shared decision-making. More prospective research is required in this regard.