Anaesthesia: the patient's point of view

Patients scheduled for surgical procedures continue to express concerns about their safety, outcome, and comfort. All medical interventions carry risks, but the patient often considers anaesthesia as the intervention with the greatest risk. Many still worry that they will not wake up after their surgery, or that they will be awake during the operation. Such events have received attention from the media, but are very rare. Challenges to improve the comfort of patients continue, especially with regard to the almost universal problems of nausea, vomiting, and pain after surgery. A newer concern is that patients will develop some degree of mental impairment that may delay return to a full work and social lifestyle for days and weeks. Developments in technology, education, and training have had a major effect on anaesthetic practice, so that anaesthesia is increasingly regarded as safe for the patient. This article explores patients' concerns, and considers whether science and technology help to provide solutions to these complex difficulties.