Effect of intraoperative anesthetic events on postoperative patient satisfaction

Objective: To assess overall perioperative and anesthetic care-specific patient satisfaction. Design: We mailed questionnaires postoperatively to three groups of surgical patients (those who underwent anesthesia without complications, those who experienced airway management difficulties, and those who had cardiovascular perturbations) and analyzed the responses. Material and Methods: All patients 18 to 75 years of age who underwent hospital-based surgical procedures in our acute-care hospitals during the interval from January to September 1993 were eligible for this investigation. We asked a total of 315 patients-105 in each of the three study groups-about their satisfaction with perioperative care. Specific positive or negative comments that the patients returned in their questionnaires were tabulated into the following subcategories: physician, nurse, technique, time, and institution concerns. Results: Of the 315 questionnaires sent to patients, 239 (75.9%) were returned. No difference in overall patient satisfaction (defined as very satisfied or a combination of very satisfied and satisfied) was noted among the groups. No patients identified themselves as dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their overall care, although a small percentage expressed dissatisfaction because of time delays. The specific patient comments suggested that the positive interactions with physicians and nurses outweighed the concerns about time delays. Conclusion: This study showed that intraoperative anesthetic events did not affect patient satisfaction. Interactions with physicians and nurses dominated the decision about patient satisfaction, and time delays were the most frequently cited negative comment.