Patient perceptions of the care received from their anesthesiologist: a survey study.

CONTEXT: Observed disconnect between patient knowledge and choice of anesthesiologist. OBJECTIVES: Assess opportunities to improve perceptions about anesthesiology as a profession, and for patient education on the scope of anesthesia practice. DESIGN: Prospective Study. SETTING: Academic institution and tertiary care hospital in Oklahoma, USA. PARTICIPANTS: 238 patients with a scheduled procedure involving general anesthesia were approached and consented before surgery. Minors, in-patients, pregnant women, prisoners, and non-native English speakers were excluded. Post-procedure, 156 of the consented patients were administered a verbal, eight-question survey in the post-operative are of the hospital. The other 82 patients who had originally consented to the study were excluded for various reasons detailed in the case report. INTERVENTIONS: Study was conducted through surveys over a seven-week period on random patients who consented to answer the survey questions. Main outcome measures: Study confirmed the hypothesis, but also brought out secondary findings. RESULTS: Of the 156 patients surveyed, 19 (12%) knew their anesthesiologist's name, and only 15 (9.6%) said that they knew anything about the anesthesiologist's practice or qualifications. T-test analysis comparing satisfaction with the whole hospital environment to other satisfaction questions showed satisfaction with surgeon, nursing staff, and anesthesiologist were all significantly higher than satisfaction with whole hospital environment (p < 0.05). All T-tests performed were two-tailed tests. CONCLUSIONS: Study indicates that patients know little about their anesthesiologists, and are unlikely to select their own anesthesiologist. Improving patients' knowledge about the anesthesiologists' roles and competencies might be accomplished by providing a list of names and specific practice competencies, or by having an online site of practice information easily accessible.