Analysis of patients’ anesthesia experience at the royal jordanian rehabilitation center : a survey of anesthetic practice

Abstract EN

Objective: To assess the patients’ - anesthetists relationships, quality of anesthetic services provided and patients satisfaction at the Royal Jordanian Rehabilitation Center.

Methods: This study was conducted over a four-week period during August 2000 using a pre-formulated questionnaire to interview a total of 50 in-patients who underwent elective procedures.

The interview was performed on the first postoperative day.

Patients’ recall and satisfaction with the anesthetic procedure were recorded and analyzed.

Data regarding certain aspects of the anesthetic techniques were collected from the anesthetic charts and were also analyzed.

Results: Out of the 50 patients interviewed, recall of the patients were: Anxiety in 31 patients (62%), pain on needle insertion in 29 patients (58%), visual sensation in 21 patients (42%), mask covering the face in 20 patients (40%), an unusual smell in 12 patients (24%) and pain on induction in 11 patients (22%).

The anesthetic complications were: Awareness in 3 patients (6%), shivering in 33 patients (66%), dryness in 32 patients (64%), sore throat in 27 patients (54%), nausea and vomiting in 21 patients (42%), fatigue in 23 patients (46%), headache in 16 patients (32%) and micturition problems in 10 patients (20%).

After operation, 39 patients (78%) complained of pain.

Twenty-three patients (46%) thought that anesthetists were not doctors.

However, 48 patients (96%) were satisfied with the anesthetic services they received.

Conclusion: Patients’ satisfaction may be improved by the greater use of pre-operative visits by the anesthetists and premedication.

Greater use of regional blockade and intra-operative analgesics and the use of newer analgesic devices such as epidural infusions and patient controlled analgesic machines (PCA) may improve post-operative analgesia.