Does a postoperative visit increase patient satisfaction with anaesthesia care?

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient Care

Background:

• Continuity of personal care by an anesthesiologist is crucial for patient satisfaction.
• This care model involves preoperative evaluation, anesthesia delivery, and postoperative visits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if a single postoperative visit by the anesthesiologist enhances patient perception of continuity of care.
• To determine the impact of this visit on overall patient satisfaction with anesthesia care.

Main Methods:

• Prospective randomized study comparing three groups: anesthesiologist postoperative visit (Group 1), nurse anesthetist visit (Group 2), and no visit (Group 3).
• Patients completed a validated questionnaire post-discharge.

Main Results:

• Group 1 showed significantly lower negative patient responses regarding not being visited (13.5%) compared to Groups 2 (69.2%) and 3 (77.1%).
• Perception of continuity of care was significantly higher in Group 1 (40.0% negative response) versus Group 3 (55.5%).
• Overall anesthesia satisfaction was not significantly different across the groups.

Conclusions:

• A single postoperative visit by the anesthesiologist significantly improves patient perception of continuity of care.
• This intervention enhances patient satisfaction with the continuity of care model.
• Overall patient satisfaction with anesthesia care was not affected by the postoperative visit.