Expectations and experiences of anaesthesia in a District General Hospital

Patients were asked about their pre-anaesthetic assessment, expectations and experiences of anaesthesia, during the first postoperative day. Of the 100 patients interviewed, 95 were visited pre-operatively by an anaesthetist. 46 patients denied being anxious, and nine said they were very anxious. Middle-aged patients seemed to be more apprehensive, and older patients less apprehensive. Thirty-nine patients had specific worries about anaesthesia, and nine patients expected to have problems on this occasion. Of the 70 patients premedicated, 61 became less anxious and/or drowsy. Of the 55 patients receiving postoperative analgesia, 53 received good to moderate pain relief. Only five patients remembered being visited postoperatively. Despite 86 patients showing 171 well recognised anaesthetic sequelae, 99 patients said that they were satisfied with their anaesthetic.