Patients view of an anaesthesiologist: A survey

The aim of the present study was to investigate the layman's view about the role of the anaesthesiologist in the modern day surgical practice. Two hundred and fifty patients were asked to fill questionnaires during their visit to the pre anaesthesia clinic. All questions were in simple Hindi, and those patients who were unable to read were allowed to ask their relatives/friends accompanying them, to read them out and fill the responses for them. A total of one hundred and ninety eight patients completed the questionnaire. 53.8% patients believed that the surgeon took care of them during anaesthesia and 50% though that the nurse looked after them immediately after surgery under the instructions of the surgeons. Only 19.2% of the patients were aware of the fact that the anaesthesiologist were responsible for their perioperative well being. 75.8% of the patients questioned were not aware of any other area of work of the anaesthesiologist other than the operation theatre. Only one out of 43 patients coming for re-surgery remembered the anaesthesiologists name, while all of them remembered the surgeons name. The present study concluded that the majority of the patients attending the out patient clinic of this hospital for a pre anaesthesia check up have very little knowledge about anaesthesia, the role and the responsibilities of the anaesthesiologist during surgery, post operative care and intensive care.