Patient satisfaction with anesthesia care: information alone does not lead to improvement.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate if information campaigns and introduction of information leaflets lead to an improvement in patient satisfaction with anesthesia care.


METHODS
In 2000, we carried out an assessment of patient satisfaction with anesthesia care. "Information/involvement in decision making" was identified as the worst problem area. The three hospitals involved in this study introduced strategies to improve this dimension of patient satisfaction by launching information campaigns, producing or improving information brochures (particularly in hospitals A and C), and by expanding the preanesthetic care unit (hospital B). In 2002, a second survey was carried out. Each of the hospitals sent questionnaires to 600 elective surgery patients after discharge. We compared the total problem scores (the percentage of patients who responded that a problem was present) and the problem scores for the dimension 'information/involvement in decision making' between 2000 and 2002.


RESULTS
The total problem score (mean in %, 95% confidence interval) for all three hospitals together remained unchanged [19% (1)], as well as the problem scores for each hospital [hospital A 16% (1), hospital B 21% (1), hospital C 20% (1)]. The problem score for 'information/involvement in decision making' remained unchanged also: 31% (29-33) in 2000 compared to 28% (26-30) in 2002.


CONCLUSIONS
Information campaigns and the introduction of information leaflets alone do not improve patient satisfaction with anesthesia care.
Department of Anaesthesiology, Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Rorschacherstrasse 95, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland. thomas.heidegger@kssg.ch
Thomas
T
Heidegger
Matthias
M
Nuebling
Reinhard
R
Germann
Hans
H
Borg
Katrin
K
Flückiger
Trinidad
T
Coi
Yvonne
Y
Husemann
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000592:standards*; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland