The benefits of informing patients before undergoing surgery or other investigative procedures are clearly demonstrated in the literature. This study aimed to determine the amount and type of information given to patients before, during and after undergoing gastroscopy investigations. A survey approach incorporating structured interviews and structured observation was utilized. There were statistically significant differences between the information acquired by younger and older patients prior to, but not during or after, the procedure. Nurses appear to be the most important source of information for older patients while the information leaflet was perceived as the most important source of information for younger patients.