Patients’ Perception of Anaesthesia and Participation in Their own Perioperative Safety- An Observational Study

Patients for Patient Safety (PFPS) is a World Health Organization (WHO) program that advocates meaningful engagement of patients and families to improve patient safety.Perioperative patient safety encompasses surgical risks, as well as risks due to anesthesia.This study was conceptualized to assess patient's perception of their involvement in enhancing their perioperative safety and the current state of patient knowledge regarding anesthesia.This observational cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in India.One hundred sixty-three consenting adults aged 19 years to 75 years who were scheduled for elective surgery between May and July 2022 and had American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 1 to 3 participated in the study.Patients with psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairment, and speech and hearing problems were excluded.A prevalidated questionnaire of 21 questions was administered in the preoperative area.Data collection was performed in an online MS Excel spreadsheet.In our study, it was encouraging to note that the general awareness of the requirement of anesthesia for surgery was widely acknowledged.Nonetheless, information about anesthesia as a separate specialty and anesthesiologists as specialized doctors was lacking (43/163, 28.8%).The inadequate awareness of anesthesia, as found in our study, might not be a true reflection of a wider population, which calls attention to investing in 'anesthesia awareness programs'.Our study revealed a very promising initial step in patient empowerment, as the majority of patients (100/163; 61.3%) were amenable to participate in their own perioperative safety.Regardless of education status, the population in general needs to be familiarized with the shared patient responsibility in enhancing patient safety, similar to other public health programs.Our study aligns with the recently proposed concrete interventions for improving the quality of perioperative care at a global stage, which contributes to sustainable development goals aimed at achieving universal health coverage.