Patient Awareness and Concerns Regarding Metallic Implants in Orthopaedic Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Singapore

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Metallic surgical implants are commonly used in Orthopaedic surgery. There is a paucity of the literature on patient perspectives and awareness regarding their use. This study aims to investigate patients’ self-perceived awareness, knowledge and concerns toward metallic implant usage in Orthopaedic surgery, in order to provide a tailored and efficient means of pre-operative counselling. <b>Methods:</b> A single-centred, cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed in a single tertiary centre in Singapore. Patients between 21 and 75 years who were on follow-up with an Orthopaedic surgeon were recruited from the Orthopaedic specialist outpatient clinic. This questionnaire consisted of three main parts. Firstly, patients were asked to grade their self-perceived knowledge on metallic implants on a Likert scale of 1 to 5. The second part included questions designed to determine the level of knowledge of patients on metallic implants. For the third part, patients were asked to grade how comfortable they were with having metal implants in their bodies on a Likert scale of 0 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree). <b>Results:</b> A total of 100 patients were recruited, with 56 males and 44 females. The majority of the patients were Chinese (59%), and 32% had tertiary education. The self-perceived awareness regarding metallic implants was low with a median score of 3 (IQR 1–9) (1—unaware, 10—fully aware). There was no significant difference between younger and older patients (>50 years) or between patients of different educational levels. In total, 17% of the participants stated that they preferred to use non-metallic implants. The most significant concerns were surgical costs (51%), post-operation discomfort (50%) and potential rejection of metallic implants (50%). <b>Conclusions:</b> There is a poor level of self-reported awareness on metallic implants and a lack of knowledge regarding the use of metallic implants in Orthopaedic procedures among patients in our local population. The top concerns regarding the usage of metallic implants were cost, adverse reaction to metal and persistent discomfort. A significant percentage of patients prefer to use non-metallic implant options if available. This highlights the need for tailored pre-operative counselling for the provision of information and to address patients’ concerns accurately.