| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 26
| Issue : 2 | Page : 139-143 |
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'Key-hole surgery' – A study on patient perceptions about laparoscopic surgery in Kerala
Sandhra George1, Sanoop K Zachariah2
1 Department of Surgery, MOSC Medical College, Kolenchery, Cochin, India
2 Department of Surgery, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Trivandrum, India
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Prof. Sanoop K Zachariah
Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Thiruvananthapuram - 695 029, Kerala
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/ksj.ksj_5_20
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Background: Patients often demand laparoscopic procedures irrespective of the indications. There seems to be an increased awareness of laparoscopic procedures among the people of Kerala. To date, there is no published study about the patient's awareness, perceptions and understanding of laparoscopic surgery in India. Aims: The aim is to assess the knowledge and identify various factors associated with the patient's perception of laparoscopic surgery. Methodology: This is a prospective cross-sectional study, including 200 participants. Kuppuswamy's Scale was used to assess the educational and occupational status of the participants. Knowledge scoring was obtained utilising a structured questionnaire. An initial survey divided patients into two groups, namely, those who were aware of laparoscopy and those who were not. Patients who were aware completed the remaining questionnaire. Others were briefly educated about laparoscopy, using print and visual aids. They were then assessed for their preference for the surgical procedure. Results: Awareness about laparoscopic surgery was high (96.5%). Friends and family (62%) contributed a major source of information and the least by the media (11.5%). 30.5% did not know that laparoscopy required special equipment. Interestingly, 56.5% were unaware of the requisite of gas insufflation. Educated participants had significantly better awareness. 55% had a good knowledge score. About 81.5% claimed their preference for laparoscopic surgery even if it were to cost more. Conclusion: The local population are well informed about laparoscopic surgery. The disadvantages are less known. Awareness through mass media is less. Health-care providers should focus their attention on deficient areas of awareness.
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