title: Patient perceptions about anesthesia and anesthesiologists before and after surgical procedures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anesthesiologist-patient relationships are established preoperatively and intraoperatively. These are opportunities for providing correct information about anesthesia/anesthesiologists, thereby improving outcomes. The aim here was to evaluate patients' perceptions about anesthesiologists before anesthesia and to identify whether the anesthetic care would change such perceptions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cross-sectional study using data obtained in 2007-2008, at a tertiary university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  518 patients aged 16 years or over were interviewed before and after anesthesia exposure. A questionnaire was used to determine patient characteristics and perceptions of anesthesia/anesthesiologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients were 16-89 years of age and 59.8% had attended elementary school. 79.1% said that anesthesiologists were specialized physicians. Anesthesiologists' roles were associated with loss of consciousness (35.5% pre-anesthesia; 43.5% post-anesthesia), pain relief (29.7% pre-anesthesia, 31.7% post-anesthesia), vital sign monitoring (17.6% pre-anesthesia, 35% post-anesthesia; P < 0.05); and drug administration (10.8% pre-anesthesia, 43.9% post-anesthesia; P < 0.05). The level of confidence in the physician was rated high (82.2% and 89.8% pre- and post-anesthesia, respectively; P < 0.05) or intermediate (5.8% and 6.6% pre- and post-anesthesia, respectively; P < 0.05). The care provided by anesthesiologists was classified as: elucidating (52.8%), encouraging (52.6%), neutral (10.2%) and careless (0.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients' perceptions of anesthesiologists' roles were fairly good, but improvements in this relationship still need to be pursued, to achieve better outcomes. Anesthetic care was important in providing information, confidence and reassurance among patients, regarding their perceptions. Anesthesiologists should not miss opportunities to provide excellent professional care for patients, thereby improving anesthesia outcomes and their image.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: Leopoldo Muniz da
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Sckarlet Ernandes
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Biancolin
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Yara Marcondes Machado
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Castiglia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000523:psychology*; D000776:Anesthesiology; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013997:Time Factors; D035502:Trust; D055815:Young Adult