Patient preferences of the timing, number and duration of surgeon in-hospital visits on orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery wards

Abstract

Background. The optimal time a surgeon or assistant should spend with patients each day remains unclear. Patient care should be individualized. However, patient preferences remain largely unreported in the literature regarding who should be present at all visits, when during the day the visits should occur and the length of each visit. Objectives. The researchers aimed to identify patient preferences for the timing and duration of surgeon in-hospital visits and whether neurosurgical patients’ preferences (comparison group) were different than those of orthopaedic surgical patients. Methods. Eligible patients included those who were English-speaking, not confused, and able to give consent. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with each patient to identify demographic information and preferences for the timing and duration of surgeon visits post surgery. Surgeons’ actual post-surgery visiting practices were obtained by survey. Results. Of 107 patients, 74 met eligibility criteria (48 orthopaedic surgery, 26 neurosurgery). The mean age of patients was 58 years, 30% were male and all were in hospital from 1 to 7 days. The majority of patients (68%) preferred that their surgeon visit at least once with the remainder of visits by a surgical trainee (resident) or nursing staff. Patients were most content with mid-day rounds (43%) followed by early morning rounds (29%). A significantly greater proportion of neurosurgical patients preferred at least one visit per day when compared to orthopaedic patients (62% vs 46%, p=0.05). In addition, a greater percentage of neurosurgical patients believed surgeon visits should last at least 20 min compared to orthopaedic patients (15% vs. 0%, p=0.008). Patient age, gender or time in hospital were not predictive of their preferences for the duration of time surgeons should spend with them post surgery. Surgeons’ actual visiting practices differed from patient preferences. Conclusions. Orthopaedic surgeons may improve patient satisfaction following their operations by visiting them for 5–10 min during the day at least once post surgery. Patients are comfortable interacting with nurses and residents on a daily basis as long as they communicate with the responsible surgeon. Neurosurgeons should optimally plan to visit their patients more often and spend more time each visit with their patients. Whether changes in surgeon visiting practices translate into improved patient well-being remains a question for future research.