PURPOSE: To assess the patient's experience of anaesthesia in the early postoperative period, with a self-completed questionnaire (Evan). STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive and evaluative study. PATIENTS: The study included 742 adults undergoing an elective surgical or non surgical procedure under anaesthesia. METHODS: An Evan questionnaire with 25 questions was completed 24 hours after anaesthesia by the patient. The questionnaire explored six areas, each one being marked out from 0 to 100, as the visual analogue scale. The marks were compared with consideration of age, gender, ASA physical class, type of anaesthesia, anaesthesia duration and type of surgery. RESULTS: The mean global mark was 76 +/- 9 (min-max: 34-99). Marks were lower in the youngest patients, in females, in ASA 1 patients, in longest surgical procedures, especially with regard to areas belonging to "apprehension", "pain-discomfort" and "physical needs". The lowest mark was given for the "information" provided during the pre-anaesthetic evaluation. Differences in marks occurred also between surgical specialities. CONCLUSION: The Evan questionnaire is a valuable tool for assessing the patient's opinion on the perioperative period. Further studies are required to extend its use to other fields, as ambulatory surgery.
PURPOSE: To assess the patient's experience of anaesthesia in the early postoperative period, with a self-completed questionnaire (Evan). STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive and evaluative study. PATIENTS: The study included 742 adults undergoing an elective surgical or non surgical procedure under anaesthesia. METHODS: An Evan questionnaire with 25 questions was completed 24 hours after anaesthesia by the patient. The questionnaire explored six areas, each one being marked out from 0 to 100, as the visual analogue scale. The marks were compared with consideration of age, gender, ASA physical class, type of anaesthesia, anaesthesia duration and type of surgery. RESULTS: The mean global mark was 76 +/- 9 (min-max: 34-99). Marks were lower in the youngest patients, in females, in ASA 1 patients, in longest surgical procedures, especially with regard to areas belonging to "apprehension", "pain-discomfort" and "physical needs". The lowest mark was given for the "information" provided during the pre-anaesthetic evaluation. Differences in marks occurred also between surgical specialities. CONCLUSION: The Evan questionnaire is a valuable tool for assessing the patient's opinion on the perioperative period. Further studies are required to extend its use to other fields, as ambulatory surgery.