Patient recall of perioperative events during gynecologic surgery

Trauma-informed care encourages clinicians to consider how medical environments such as the operating room could trigger patient trauma. However, limited data exist on the intersection of perioperative recall, prior trauma, and patient satisfaction following outpatient gynecologic surgery. This mixed-methods prospective cohort study aimed to assess patient recall of perioperative events and feelings of psychological safety after gynecologic surgery. Thirty patients undergoing elective gynecologic surgery under monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia completed surveys regarding surgical fear preoperatively and operating room memory, satisfaction, and a semi-structured interview postoperatively. During surgery, team members recorded anesthetic information and common events during anesthesia induction and emergence. Patients recalled a median of 3.5/14 induction events and 1/9 emergence event. In the qualitative interviews, no patients remembered waking in the OR during or after surgery. Overall, patients undergoing routine gynecologic surgery have minimal memory of any operating room events that could incite trauma.