Article Summary
 The Web and Robotic Heart Surgery - How is Information Disseminated to the Consumer?
by The DiagnosisHeart.com Physician Team
Posted: March 4, 2004 Summary:
Buffalo, NY - In a study to be published soon in the journal Heart Surgery Forum, researchers from the Center for Less Invasive Cardiac Surgery and Robotic Heart Surgery at Kaleida Health/University at Buffalo and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation have investigated how patients have come to learn about robotic heart surgery before and after the operation.
A follow-up study was conducted on 50 consecutive patients who underwent robotic coronary artery bypass surgery, the Endo-ACAB procedure. Study surveys were designed by a communications science specialist in Internet studies. Patients completed surveys over a course of 18 months, from January 2001 to June 2002.
All 50 patients in the targeted group completed the survey. Forty-four (88%) of the respondents reported having internet access. The Web was cited as the most popular source of initial information on the Endo-ACAB procedure, with 36% of patients first learning about the procedure through an internet search. All 44 patients with Internet access used the Web as an additional source of information before surgery, but only 20 % (7/35) did so after surgery. Most patients (91%, 40/44) felt that their surgeon should develop a Web site to detail the Endo-ACAB procedure. An investigation of patient quality of life showed that 96% of patients were not experiencing any symptoms related to their surgery. All 50 patients reported high degrees of satisfaction with the Endo-ACAB procedure, and 98% said that they would recommend the surgery to someone else.
In summary, a large number of patients are realizing the benefits of the Internet as a tool to educate themselves, both before and after surgery. The request by an overwhelming majority of patients that surgeons that develop Web sites, however, shows that patients may not be completely satisifed with the current form or content of health sites on the Internet. Surgeons will see the benefits of Web-based education only when they ensure that their patients have access to adequate and credible health-related information.
The early results of robotic surgery suggest a promising future and the need to investigate the role of the internet in its growth.
Reference:
The World Wide Web and Robotic Heart Surgery, Heart Surgery Forum Date of Article Publication:
2003 Web Site: http://www.hsforum.com/vol6/issue6/2003-138898.html | 
