Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jul;31(7):746-754.
doi: 10.1111/pan.14197. Epub 2021 May 14.

Satisfaction measures in pediatric anesthesia and perioperative care

Affiliations
Review

Satisfaction measures in pediatric anesthesia and perioperative care

Graham C C Chua et al. Paediatr Anaesth. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Patient satisfaction is routinely used to assess the quality of care in medicine. In the field of anesthesia, research has been primarily directed toward developing satisfaction measures in adults with little attention paid to the pediatric population. Satisfaction in pediatric anesthesia and perioperative care is poorly understood. We have identified existing satisfaction measures in pediatric perioperative care and examined their similarities and differences. A search of relevant published trials up to January 2021 identified 17 studies using 14 unique satisfaction measures of perioperative care in children. Eleven of these assessed satisfaction multidimensionally while three assessed overall satisfaction of parents with their child's anesthesia. Of the six dimensions of satisfaction identified, all were duplicated to some degree across studies. The dimensions were: "staff rapport and communication" and "anesthetic and nursing quality of care" in eight satisfaction measures; "information giving" in seven measures; "postoperative symptom control" in six; "hospital experience" in five; and "involvement in decision-making" in three. The most important items from the parents' perspective were: "staff rapport and communication;" "information giving;" and "decision-making". No study examined all dimensions of satisfaction. Although all studies questioned parents, only three asked satisfaction questions of the child. No study was analyzed the child's direct responses. In three studies, parental involvement in decision-making was reported to be important as a satisfaction measure of their child's perioperative care. Of the few existing satisfaction measures evaluated, there is no accepted standard in current practice. Future studies identifying the important determinants of satisfaction in pediatric perioperative care, perhaps also using a Delphi approach with parents, might allow for the development of a patient-focused standardized measure in this setting.

Keywords: adolescent; anesthesia; audit; child; measurement; outcomes; quality improvement; satisfaction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

REFERENCES

    1. Marley KA, Collier DA, Goldstein SM. The role of clinical and process quality in achieving patient satisfaction in hospitals. Decis Sci. 2004;35(3):349-369. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0011-7315.2004.02570.x
    1. Wallack L, Dorfman L. Media advocacy: a strategy for advancing policy and promoting health. Health Educ Q. 1996;23(3):293-317. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019819602300303
    1. Randolph W, Viswanath K. Lessons learned from public health mass media campaigns: marketing health in a crowded media world. Annu Rev Public Health. 2004;25(1):419-437. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.25.101802.123046
    1. Parker R, Ratzan SC. Health literacy: a second decade of distinction for Americans. J Health Commun. 2010;15(Sup 2):20-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2010.501094
    1. McMullan M. Patients using the Internet to obtain health information: how this affects the patient-health professional relationship. Patient Educ Couns. 2006;63(1):24-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2005.10.006

LinkOut - more resources