Patients’ perception of anaesthesia and participation in their own perioperative safety- An observational study

Patients for Patients Safety (PFPS) is a World Health Organization (WHO) program which advocates meaningful engagement of patients and families to improve patient safety. Perioperative patient safety encompasses the surgical risks, as well as risks due to anesthesia. This study was conceptualized to assess patient perception of their involvement in enhancing their own perioperative safety and also assess the current state of patient knowledge regarding anesthesia.

This observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital of India. One hundred sixty-three consenting adults, aged 19 years to 75 years, scheduled for elective surgery, between May and July 2022, having American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1 to 3 participated in the study. Patients having psychiatric disorder, cognitive impairment, speech and hearing problems were excluded.

A pre-validated questionnaire of 21 questions was administered in pre-operative area. Data collection was done in online MS excel spreadsheet format.

In our study it was encouraging to note that the general awareness on requirement of anesthesia for surgery was widely acknowledged. Nonetheless, the information about anesthesia as a separate specialty, and anesthesiologists as specialized doctors, was lacking (43/163, 28.8%). The inadequate awareness about anesthesia specialty as found in our study, might not be a true reflection of a wider population, which calls attention to invest in anesthesia awareness programs. Our study revealed a very promising initial step in patient empowerment, as majority of patients (100/163; 61.3%) were amenable to participate in their own perioperative safety. Regardless of education status, the population in general needs to be familiarized with the shared patient responsibility in enhancing patient safety, just like other public health programs. Our study aligns with the recently proposed concrete interventions for improving quality of perioperative care at a global stage which contributes to Sustainable Development Goals targets towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.