Evaluation of Surgeons’ Awareness of and Attitudes Toward Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Medications

Introduction:This study aimed to evaluate the levels of knowledge, clinical approaches, attitudes, and recent experiences of bleeding complications among physicians in non-cardiovascular surgical disciplines regarding perioperative antithrombotic drug management.Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 176 physicians from various surgical specialties in Türkiye.Data were collected on demographic information, clinical practice preferences, and antithrombotic medication knowledge, assessed with a 13item true/false questionnaire.Construct validity was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis, with comparative fit index: 0.98 and root mean square error of approximation: 0.012.Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used for analysis. Results:The mean knowledge score was 7.69 out of 13.Warfarin was the drug causing the greatest preoperative concern (65.9%).During the previous six months, 47.2% of participants reported minor bleeding complications, and 11.4% reported major bleeding complications.Knowledge scores were highest among anesthesiology physicians and significantly lower among pediatric surgery, urology, and ear, nose and throat physicians (p<0.001).Physicians older than 51 years and those with more than 15 years of experience had significantly lower scores (p<0.05).Aspirin management varied considerably, with 39.8% discontinuing treatment and 40.3% consulting another specialty.Conclusion: Physicians demonstrated moderate knowledge levels and substantial inter-specialty variability in perioperative antithrombotic management.Lower knowledge scores among more experienced physicians highlight the need for continuous education.Establishing multidisciplinary anticoagulation management teams and standardized decision-support protocols may improve patient safety and reduce complications.