Nursing Director (Education) Princess Alexandra Hospital

Information needs of Hong Kong Chinese patients undergoing surgery Background. The provision of information to patients is an important aspect of contemporary health care. Limitations in health resources necessitates that the provision of information is carefully planned and culturally specific to maximize the benefits to patients from the resources available. Aim and objectives. The purposes of the study were to recognize Chinese surgical patients ’ information needs on admission and ascertain why the information is important to assist in understanding how it is used and, therefore, its potential impact. Methods. A descriptive study design was used. A convenience sample of 83 surgical patients took part comprising 51 men and 32 women. An eight-item questionnaire based on the right of patients to information as listed in the Patients ’ Charter in Hong Kong using a 5-point Likert scale and one open-ended question to comment on why the information was important to them was completed by patients on the day of admission