Patient feedback on the anaesthetist's performance during the pre-operative visit

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Medical Education
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Pre-operative interviews and anesthesia conduct are critical components of patient care.
• Professional guidelines exist for these procedures, but systematic patient feedback mechanisms are essential.
• Utilizing patient feedback can enhance the quality of anaesthetic services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a patient feedback questionnaire for anaesthetists.
• To assess the utility of patient feedback as part of anaesthetist performance appraisal.
• To quantify patient satisfaction with pre-operative interviews and anaesthesia.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was developed based on guidelines from the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.
• Patient responses were collected and analyzed to form an accumulative record of feedback.
• Data from 835 patients at a District General Hospital were used to evaluate performance metrics.

Main Results:

• The median "desired answer" percentage was 92%, indicating high patient preference for the anaesthetists' approach.
• The median "overall dissatisfaction" percentage was low at 0.6%.
• The "desired : undesired answer" ratio was 12:1 for both consultants and non-training grade doctors.

Conclusions:

• Patient feedback, collected via a structured questionnaire, is a valuable tool for assessing anaesthetist performance.
• High patient satisfaction suggests that current practices align well with patient expectations.
• This feedback mechanism can be effectively integrated into annual appraisal processes to drive continuous improvement in anaesthetic care.