Providers, Patients Differ in Satisfaction With Anesthesia for Eye Surgery

WEDNESDAY, April 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- There is a low level of correlation between patient and provider satisfaction with anesthesia in ophthalmic surgeries, according to a study published online March 6 in Clinical Ophthalmology.

Natalie Sadlak, from Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues investigated the degree of association between patient satisfaction with anesthesia versus surgeon and anesthesiologist satisfaction with anesthesia for cataract, retina, cornea, or glaucoma surgery. The analysis included 283 ophthalmic surgical cases.

The researchers found that on a 6-point scale, mean surgeon satisfaction was 5.27, mean anesthesiologist satisfaction was 5.12, and mean patient satisfaction was 5.28. For surgeon versus patient satisfaction, the correlation was 0.333, while the correlation between anesthesiologist and patient satisfaction was 0.319. With regard to correlation between surgeon and patient satisfaction and between anesthesiologist and patient satisfaction, no differences were observed between English- and non-English-speaking patients.

"This poor correlation may suggest differing expectations pertaining to quality care," a coauthor said in a statement. "For instance, surgeons may value a quiet patient with minimal eye movement during surgery, whereas a patient may value being pain-free or a complete lack of awareness of the surgery. Alternatively, an overly sedated patient might exhibit excessive eye movement, lowering surgeon satisfaction, or unstable vital signs, lowering anesthesia provider satisfaction. Ultimately, the goal should be to maximize patient satisfaction without compromising patient safety."

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