Abstract

In a recent discussion, Walter Glannon discusses a number of ways we might try to minimise harm to patients who experience intraoperative awareness. In this response, I direct attention to a possibility that deserves further attention. It might be that a kind of psychological intervention—namely, informing patients of the possibility of intraoperative awareness and of what to expect in such a case—would constitute a unique way to respect patient autonomy, as well as minimise the harm that typically follows intraoperative awareness events.