Impact of Preoperative Anesthesia Assessment on Patient Satisfaction in Appendectomy
Keywords:
Anesthesia, Appendectomy, Patient satisfaction, Preoperative assessment, Communication, AnxietyAbstract
Background: Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of anesthesia-care quality, particularly in urgent surgical pathways where limited preparation time may constrain communication. Objective: To assess patient satisfaction with preoperative anesthesia assessment among adults undergoing appendectomy and examine associations with selected patient and anesthetic characteristics. Methods: This single-centre descriptive cross-sectional study included 164 adults with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II undergoing appendectomy under general or regional anesthesia at Nawaz Sharif Social Security Hospital, Lahore. Participants completed a nine-item, four-point satisfaction questionnaire. Results were summarized as n (%) and associations were examined using chi-square tests. Results: The mean age was 34.8 ± 12.6 years; 93 (56.7%) participants were female, 110 (67.1%) were ASA I, and 115 (70.1%) received general anesthesia. Overall, 120 (73.2%) were satisfied and 41 (25.0%) were extremely satisfied. Positive ratings were highest for professionalism (99.4%), consent information (98.2%), and safety and well-being (95.1%). Neutral responses were frequent for anxiety support (65.9%), opportunity to ask questions (62.8%), and explanation of risks and complications (58.5%). Overall satisfaction was not associated with gender, ASA status, or anesthesia type; safety ratings differed by gender (χ²=6.697, df=2, p=0.035). Conclusion: Satisfaction was high overall, but risk communication, opportunities for questions, and anxiety support warrant targeted quality improvement. The cross-sectional findings demonstrate associations and perceived care quality, not causal effects.
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