OBJECTIVE: There is an increasing demand for internal clinical quality assurance. For this reason methods for the assessment of patients' satisfaction and postoperative symptoms and complaints are needed. This article describes a new questionnaire for the measurement of these aspects. METHODS: The questionnaire consists of two parts. Part 1 assesses the intensity of symptoms related to the postoperative periods "recovery room", "first hours on ward" and "current state". Part 2 measures patients' satisfaction with anesthesiological care, unspecific perioperative care and postoperative convalescence. 431 patients completed the questionnaire after an elective operation. RESULTS: Results demonstrate a plausible difference in patients' symptoms between the three postoperative periods. The difference between the remembered complaints in the "recovery room" and the "first hours on ward" is of small degree. Related to the period immediately after anesthesia, women describe a worse state of health than men. Male and female patients do not differ in their satisfaction with anesthesiological care. Older patients describe greater satisfaction with perioperative care than younger ones. There are only a few significant correlations between the intensity of symptoms in the "recovery room" and data from anesthesiological documentation. CONCLUSIONS: The new questionnaire is sensitive for the change of symptoms in the course of postoperative time. Considering the results, a modification of the questionnaire ist suggested. This instrument is to be used in a greater and representative sample of patients now.
OBJECTIVE: There is an increasing demand for internal clinical quality assurance. For this reason methods for the assessment of patients' satisfaction and postoperative symptoms and complaints are needed. This article describes a new questionnaire for the measurement of these aspects. METHODS: The questionnaire consists of two parts. Part 1 assesses the intensity of symptoms related to the postoperative periods "recovery room", "first hours on ward" and "current state". Part 2 measures patients' satisfaction with anesthesiological care, unspecific perioperative care and postoperative convalescence. 431 patients completed the questionnaire after an elective operation. RESULTS: Results demonstrate a plausible difference in patients' symptoms between the three postoperative periods. The difference between the remembered complaints in the "recovery room" and the "first hours on ward" is of small degree. Related to the period immediately after anesthesia, women describe a worse state of health than men. Male and female patients do not differ in their satisfaction with anesthesiological care. Older patients describe greater satisfaction with perioperative care than younger ones. There are only a few significant correlations between the intensity of symptoms in the "recovery room" and data from anesthesiological documentation. CONCLUSIONS: The new questionnaire is sensitive for the change of symptoms in the course of postoperative time. Considering the results, a modification of the questionnaire ist suggested. This instrument is to be used in a greater and representative sample of patients now.