Patient’s knowledge and perception of anaesthesia and anaesthesiologist: data from a tertiary centre in Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To assess patients' knowledge of anaesthesia and the role of anaesthesiologists. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi from October 2020 to April 2021 and comprised patients of either gender aged 18-60 years who were undergoing preoperative assessment. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire evaluating knowledge about anaesthesia and anaesthesiologists, focussing on perioperative roles and responsibilities. Data was analysed using RStudio version 4.1.2. RESULTS: Of the 150 patients with mean age 49.14±8.49 years, 82 (54.7%) were females and 70 (45.3%) were males. Overall, 100(66.7%) patients had good and 50(33.3%) had poor knowledge. Those with prior anaesthesia experience had significantly better knowledge (p