Predicting factors of patient satisfaction after varicose vein surgery at a university hospital in Nepal

Introduction

Varicose veins are a common vascular problem with a high prevalence, yet they are often neglected. The main objective of this study was to explore the patient satisfaction after varicose vein surgery, along with its predicting factors. To our knowledge, no similar study has been conducted in Nepal to date.

Methodology

This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients who underwent varicose vein surgery at Dhulikhel Hospital from September 2019 to February 2020. The satisfaction level after the surgery was assessed using a 10-point Likert scale questionnaire during a telephone interview with their verbal consent. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were performed to identify the predicting factors of patient satisfaction.

Results

Among a total of 84 patients interviewed, 53.6% were male. The mean age of the participants was 43.13 ± 13.62 years. The mean patient satisfaction score was 42 ± 5.5, with nursing service, discharge teaching and hospital service being the highest scoring items in terms of patient satisfaction. Linear regression revealed age ≤40 years as a predictor of higher patient satisfaction (β=0.258, p=0.015) while early stage of varicose veins (β=-0.233, p=0.026) and duration of post-operative follow-up (β=-0.25, p=0.021) were negative predictors of patient satisfaction. This means that patients with C2-C3 venous disease and longer duration of postoperative follow-up tended to have lower satisfaction scores.

Conclusion

The overall patient satisfaction following varicose vein surgery was very good, and the major predictors of better satisfaction were age ≤40 years, C4-C6 clinical classification of venous disease and the shorter duration of follow-up after surgery.