Perceived levels of satisfaction with the preoperative assessment service experienced by patients undergoing general anaesthesia in a day surgery setting

Aim and objective. Primary aim – to explore patient satisfaction with preoperative assessment for day surgery and compare patient satisfaction between two specialties, General Surgery and Urology. Secondary aim – to compare numbers of patients being preoperatively assessed in General Surgery and Urology. Background. Patient‐centred care is increasingly gaining significance, and patient satisfaction is an outcome measure assuming greater importance [Department of Health (2005) Creating a Patient Led NHS. Crown Copyright, London]. There is a paucity of literature on patient satisfaction with preoperative assessment. This article reports the findings of a study investigating satisfaction levels in patients undergoing preoperative assessment for general anaesthesia in a day surgery setting. Design. Cross‐sectional survey using a questionnaire. Method. A questionnaire was distributed to General Surgery and Urology patients on their day of admission in one general hospital. The questionnaire was designed to capture data on the type of preoperative assessment received and satisfaction levels of patients’ experiences of the preoperative assessment service. The questionnaire was completed by 275 patients. Results. There were no significant differences in expressed satisfaction between specialties with the preoperative assessment service or the type of preoperative assessment experienced. However, more General Surgery respondents felt preoperative assessment prepared them for hospital admission than Urology respondents, a chi‐square test revealed a significant difference between the specialties (p = 0·046). Although patients expressed overall satisfaction with preoperative assessment, their responses reveal there are key issues. Several themes emerged indicating that exchange of preoperative information, a supportive attitude, anxiety and fearfulness, proceedings and aftercare are significant aspects of preoperative assessment for patients. Conclusions. Although there is some satisfaction, this study reveals that various aspects of this preoperative assessment service could be improved. This information will help inform future development of the preoperative assessment service. Relevance to practice. If preoperative assessment is to be patient centred, enjoying high levels of patient satisfaction, attention to patients’ individual needs must be a priority.