Do we follow evidence-based medicine recommendations during inguinal hernia surgery? Results of a survey covering 2441 hernia repairs in 2007.

Abstract

We conducted a survey to determine whether hernia surgeons follow evidence-based medicine (EBM) criteria in their daily routine. All chiefs of general surgery in Styria (Austria) received a short, simple, two-page, 10-item questionnaire. We analyzed completed surveys from 15 departments reporting 2441 hernia repairs with a mean patient age of 57.5 +/- 11.6 years. Although five techniques accounted for 96.6% of procedures, the frequency of use of each technique varied considerably among the hospitals. There were high numbers of laparoscopic (36.8%) and sutured (19.9%) repairs. Because of the great variance among the evaluated hospitals as to surgical methods and indications, this survey showed that inguinal hernia surgery does not currently comply with EBM.