A Cross-sectional Study to Assess the Level of Patient Satisfaction with Day-care Anesthesia Services in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India

Abstract Background: Patient satisfaction is considered a valuable measure in evaluating the performance of healthcare processes globally. The aim of the study was to assess the level of patient satisfaction with the day-care anesthesia services and to identify the areas of improvement in a tertiary care center. Methodology: This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted as a quality improvement initiative among patients receiving anesthesia for day-care surgery. Adult American Society of Anesthesiologists Grade I and II patients, scheduled for ambulatory surgery, were included and patients were requested to fill out the Daycare Anesthesia Satisfaction questionnaire in phase II PACU. The questionnaire has four domains and each of the domain had a few questions pertaining to the aspect of care measured under that domain. Every question had a Likert five-point scale to choose from for scoring. Results: Of the total 181 patients recruited, 169 patients (93.3%) were satisfied with overall anesthesia services and only 12 patients were not satisfied (6.7%). All four domains of care, namely preoperative phase, postoperative phase, and intraoperative physical and emotional aspect of care, had similar satisfaction scores. Patients who had received regional anesthesia or general anesthesia had high satisfaction scores (100% and 99%), whereas only 85.7% of patients who received monitored anesthesia felt satisfied with anesthesia services. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated a very high level of satisfaction among patients scheduled for day-care surgical procedures. Monitored anesthesia care requires further improvement to increase patient satisfaction.