Public awareness of anesthesiologists in Japan: information sources and sex-age differences in a nationwide cross-sectional web survey.

PURPOSE: Public understanding of anesthesiologists' expertise and scope of practice remains limited. We examined whether awareness varies by sex-age segments and information sources.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional web survey in Japan (July 2025) using an online panel. Adults aged 20-69 years were eligible; those employed in healthcare/long-term care and those living with a household member in these sectors were excluded. Sex- and age-stratified quota sampling yielded 1,000 respondents. High awareness was defined as recognizing the term "anesthesiologist" and understanding anesthesiologists' main tasks. We also assessed perceived responsibility for anesthesia-related tasks. Sex-stratified multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for sociodemographic factors, healthcare experiences, geographic context, and information sources.

RESULTS

Overall, 418/1000 respondents (41.8%) reported high awareness (men 37.2%; women 46.5%), increasing with age. Most selected anesthesiologists as responsible for intraoperative anesthesia (84.7%), whereas fewer did so for procedural sedation/analgesia (37.4%), intensive care (3.4%), or chronic pain management (2.4%). In adjusted models, general interest in health and health literacy were not associated with high awareness. Information sources showed clearer associations: among men, information from friends, family members, or teachers (aOR 3.90; 95% CI 1.69-9.01) and fictional media (aOR 1.96; 95% CI 1.21-3.17) were associated with higher awareness; among women, fictional media remained associated (aOR 1.88; 95% CI 1.20-2.94).

CONCLUSIONS

In this survey, fewer than half of adults reported high awareness of anesthesiologists. Awareness was most consistently associated with interpersonal sources and fictional media, suggesting priorities for public communication.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000058375). https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000066332.