Quality of anaesthesia care in elective surgery at a Western Cape academic hospital in South Africa: a perioperative patient satisfaction survey

Abstract

Background: At a Western Cape academic hospital in South Africa, patients’ experiences after elective surgery were surveyed to primarily determine the level of patient satisfaction with anaesthesia care and secondly, to identify aspects of anaesthesia care that could be improved to ensure the best and safest care possible during the perioperative period.
Methods: A total of 200 participants were interviewed within 24 hours postoperatively after elective surgery in a variety of surgical disciplines. They completed a Perception of Quality in Anaesthesia (PQA) questionnaire with the help of an independent nonanaesthetist research assistant. Overall satisfaction was inferred by the percentage response to each variable in the questionnaire. Chi-square testing was used to find a correlation between different demographics, subgroups, and specific questions in the questionnaire. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The overall patient satisfaction rate with anaesthesia care was 88.13% (95% CI 82.8–91.8). More than a quarter (27%) of patients reported inadequate management of nausea and vomiting, and almost half (46.5%) reported that the anaesthetist did not address their concerns. This was a statistically significant finding in patients with a college certificate level of education, with 75.76% of this group reporting the failure of anaesthetists to address their concerns about their anaesthesia management (p = 0.003).
Conclusion: The overall satisfaction rate with anaesthesia care was high among the study participants. Potential aspects of anaesthesia care that could be improved were identified. The importance of communication, providing sufficient information about anaesthesia care, and addressing patient concerns was highlighted in this study.