EFFECT OF INTRAOPERATIVE ANESTHETIC EVENTS ON POSTOPERATIVE-PATIENT SATISFACTION

Objective: To assess overall perioperative and anesthetic care-specifi c patient satisfaction. Design: We mailed questionnaires postoperative ly to three groups of surgical patients (those who underwent anesthesi a without complications, those who experienced airway management diffi culties, and those who had cardiovascular perturbations) and analyzed the responses. Material and Methods: All patients 18 to 75 years of ag e who underwent hospital-based surgical procedures in our acute-care h ospitals during the interval from January to September 1993 were eligi ble for this investigation. We asked a total of 315 patients-105 in ea ch of the three study groups-about their satisfaction with perioperati ve care. Specific positive or negative comments that the patients retu rned in their questionnaires were tabulated into the following subcate gories: physician, nurse, technique, time, and institution concerns. R esults: Of the 315 questionnaires sent to patients, 239 (75.9%) were r eturned. No difference in overall patient satisfaction (defined as ver y satisfied or a combination of very satisfied and satisfied) was note d among the groups. No patients identified themselves as dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their overall care, although a small percent age expressed dissatisfaction because of time delays. The specific pat ient comments suggested that the positive interactions with physicians and nurses outweighed the concerns about time delays. Conclusion: Thi s study showed that intraoperative anesthetic events did not affect pa tient satisfaction. Interactions with physicians and nurses dominated the decision about patient satisfaction, and time delays were the most frequently cited negative comment.