Evaluation of the anesthetic management of children and adolescents in a teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Anesthetic quality and patients' satisfaction has been increasingly praised. Our objective was to evaluate anesthetic management of children and adolescents in our Hospital, by interviewing parents and/or tutors. METHODS 230 parents or tutors of children and adolescents submitted to anesthesia in the period April-December 2003 were interviewed during the postoperative visit through a four-item questionnaire: children and adolescents and their parents or tutors identification (item 1); explanations during preanesthetic evaluation (item 2) about anesthesia (item 3) and post-anesthetic recovery (PACU) (item 4). Person informing respondents was identified and the presence of post-anesthetic complications made known. Respondents have scored the Anesthesiology Department from 0 to 10. RESULTS Survey was answered by mothers in 189 (82.2%) of cases. Most respondents (114, 75.6%) were aged 20 to 39 years, were married (148, 64.3%), and 140 (60.9%) had no job. Anesthesiologists have introduced themselves to 89%; for 37% and 77.4% they have explained the importance and duration the fasting period; 82% were informed about anemia; 90% were informed about allergy; 46.8% were informed about PACU importance; 42.2% were explained about length of stay; 72.9% were informed about the health status of their children. There have been no concerns for 49%, 58% and 58%, respectively about pre, intra and post-anesthetic period; 78.9% would like to have been with their children at PACU arrival. Pre, intra and post-anesthetic concerns were related to patients' age and gender - no concern whatsoever for most respondents - and to respondents' education - the better the education the lower the number and diversity of reported concerns. Scores to the Anesthesiology department were mostly between 7 and 10 (97.4%). CONCLUSIONS The Anesthesiology Department provides satisfactory services, in spite of communication failures, which are easy to solve and depend more on Department's willingness than on scientific knowledge.