Understanding patient perceptions, knowledge, and experience of perioperative allergic reactions: a qualitative interview study.

Background: Life-threatening allergic reactions can occur during surgery and anaesthesia. Patients' perceptions, knowledge, and experience of these events are largely unreported. Better understanding of patient perspectives might influence the design of future treatment pathways.

Methods: Adult patients (≥18 yr) referred to the Yorkshire Perioperative Allergy Clinic for investigation were invited to semi-structured interviews 1 week before and 1 week after their clinic visit. Patients were recruited until thematic saturation was achieved. Codebook thematic analysis of transcripts was conducted in a continuous, iterative process.

Results: We recruited 11 patients (22 interviews). We identified four key themes: (1) impact of being 'absent' (unconscious) during the reaction; (2) implications of the allergic reaction for the patient; (3) understanding of allergy and allergy testing; (4) perception of vulnerability during future surgery. For many, being 'absent' made it harder to process the event; for others this was protective. Many developed a profound sense of vulnerability affecting daily life. Other health concerns interacted with and modified the impact of the event. Understanding of allergy was generally poor; several patients had inaccurate recall of their diagnosis. Despite anxiety about future surgery, patients often appeared ambivalent about the need to tell healthcare professionals about their diagnosis, believing 'the system' would act on their behalf.

Conclusions: Perioperative allergic events cause persistent anxiety, significantly impacting quality of life. Misunderstanding around the allergy diagnosis and its implications exposes patients to substantial risk during future surgery. There is a need for greater patient awareness to reduce this risk.