PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH REGIONAL ANESTHESIA AND GENERAL ANESTHESIA IN UPPER LIMB SURGERIES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background Assessing patient satisfaction following anesthesia is a crucial metric for both quality control and raising hospital care standards. Objectives- For upper limb procedures, the purpose of this study is to assess and contrast the patient satisfaction levels of regional and general anesthesia. Materials and Methods It was an open-label, cross-sectional study that took place at Shree Narayan Medical Institute & Hospital, Bihar, India, between January 2023 to January 2024. Overall, 200 patients were enrolled in the study. Among all participants, 100 were those who underwent regional anesthesia, and the other 100 underwent general anesthesia.   Results Most of the patients were more than 50 years of age in both the respective groups of regional anesthesia and general anesthesia groups. It was observed that 55 (55%) underwent minor surgery in the regional anesthesia group and 45 (45%) underwent major surgery. While in the general anesthesia group, 40 (40%) of patients underwent minor surgery and 60 (60%) of patients underwent major surgery. Furthermore, patients receiving regional anesthesia reported higher overall satisfaction (4.2 vs. 4.1), better pain management (4.1 vs. 3.9), and faster recovery times (4.3 vs. 3.6) compared to those receiving general anesthesia. However, general anesthesia was associated with fewer postoperative nausea (3.4 vs. 2.7) and complications (3.1 vs. 2.4). Conclusion The study highlights that regional anesthesia significantly improves patient satisfaction, particularly in pain management and recovery, making it a preferable option for upper limb procedures. Recommendation It is recommended to consider regional anesthesia for upper limb procedures due to its superior patient satisfaction, particularly in pain management and recovery.