Cirurgia em regime de ambulatório: a perspectiva do doente. Um estudo observacional

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the several advances observed at the anesthetic and surgical level, ambulatory surgery plays an increasingly important role. This regime, despite showing several advantages for the patients, still causes several fears to them. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the level of knowledge and the perspective of patients on the ambulatory surgical regimen. Materials and Methods: Prospective study carried out for 2 months in patients with pre-anesthetic consultation at a University Hospital Center. Demographic information, educational level and previous surgery on an outpatient basis were surveyed. Patients' level of knowledge about surgery on an outpatient basis, satisfaction and the advantages and fears perceived, regarding this regimen, were evaluated. The analysis was performed with SPSS and p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 251 patients were included. 128 (51%) patients showed knowledge about ambulatory surgery. The main advantages perceived by patients were having a more peaceful recovery (44.7%), avoiding being surrounded by other patients (43.1%) and avoiding infection (37.2%). The main fears shown by patients were poor pain control (20.7%), having other health problems (13.1%) and poor control of nausea or vomiting (10%). Discussion: The advantages and fears obtained in this study were in agreement with the literature. High levels of satisfaction were also demonstrated in this study, meeting expectations. Conclusion: Patients need to be more informed about the ambulatory surgical regimen in order to decrease their fears and increase their satisfaction with the regimen. Informing the patient more will increase acceptance for this regimen.