Patient Satisfaction With Perioperative Anesthetic Care

Background: The doctor-patient relationship, medical competence and patient expectations influence patient satisfaction with anesthesia. Preoperatively all patients are routinely assessed by an anesthesiologist. However, in many centers, the anesthesiologist who performs the preoperative evaluation will not necessarily be the anesthesiologist who provides the intraoperative service. This study evaluated the effect of this practice on patient satisfaction, level of confidence and anxiety among adult patients undergoing elective surgery.

Methods: 100 patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia were randomly divided into 2 equal groups: In Group A patients were evaluated and anesthetized by the same anesthesiologist. In Group B the preoperative assessment and actual anesthesia was performed by two different anesthesiologists. On the first postoperative day all patients completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate their sense of preoperative security (confidence) and their overall satisfaction with the anesthetic experience.