Patient satisfaction with continued versus divided anesthetic care

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient Care

Background:

• Patient satisfaction is a key metric in healthcare quality.
• Understanding patient preferences for anesthetic care models is crucial for improving surgical experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient acceptability and satisfaction with continuous versus divided anesthetic care.
• To investigate the impact of preoperative communication on patient expectations regarding anesthetic care.

Main Methods:

• A university medical center setting.
• 654 consecutive patients undergoing elective surgery were surveyed.
• Patient satisfaction was measured using questionnaires, comparing continuous and divided anesthetic care groups.

Main Results:

• Overall postoperative patient satisfaction was high and did not significantly differ between continuous and divided anesthetic care groups (P=0.97).
• Preoperative patient education about the anesthetic care model significantly impacted their perceived importance of continuous care (P<0.001).
• Patients in the continued care model expressed a higher preference for the same anesthesiologist, while those informed about divided care rated this less important.

Conclusions:

• Postoperative patient satisfaction is consistently high, irrespective of whether the same anesthesiologist provides preoperative visits and intraoperative anesthesia.
• Over half of patients express a strong preference for continuity of care with the same anesthesiologist.
• Effective preoperative communication can manage patient expectations and ensure high satisfaction even with divided anesthetic care models.