Measuring patient satisfaction with anaesthesia: perioperative questionnaire versus standardised face-to-face interview.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Patient satisfaction represents an essential part of quality management. Measuring the degree of patient satisfaction can be achieved with a variety of tools such as postoperative visits and patient questionnaires. The primary aim of this study was to quantify the degree of patient satisfaction with anaesthesia. A secondary aim was to compare the questionnaire technique with standardised face-to-face interviewing.

METHODS:

The authors prospectively studied 700 patients on the second postoperative day. Patients were randomised and allocated to complete either a written questionnaire or to answer the same questions during a standardised face-to-face interview. The questionnaire was subdivided into a set of questions on anaesthesia-related discomfort and another set on satisfaction with anaesthesia care in general. The questions on discomfort were assessed on a 3-point scale, and those on patient satisfaction on a 4-point scale.

RESULTS:

Response rate was 84% (589 of 700 patients). Internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.84. When evaluating the questions on anaesthesia-related discomfort, the most frequent sensations were "drowsiness" (>75%), "pain at the surgical site" (>55%), and "thirst" (>50%). The data on patient satisfaction showed a high degree of satisfaction (>90%). The responses to questions on anaesthesia-related discomfort revealed only minor differences between the questionnaire and the face-to-face interview. The questions on satisfaction with anaesthesia, however, were answered consistently in a more critical manner during the interview (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS:

The standardised interview may be more suited to determine patient satisfaction than a questionnaire. Quality improvements are possible for emergence from anaesthesia, postoperative pain therapy, and the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

• Authors: M Bauer, H Böhrer, G Aichele, A Bach, E Martin
• Journal: Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica (Acta Anaesthesiol Scand) Vol. 45 Issue 1 Pg. 65-72 (Jan 2001) ISSN: 0001-5172 [Print] England
• PMID: 11152036 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Topics

• Anesthesia
• Data Interpretation, Statistical
• Humans
• Interviews as Topic
• Patient Satisfaction (statistics & numerical data)
• Quality Assurance, Health Care
• Reproducibility of Results
• Surveys and Questionnaires