Patients’ knowledge and perception of anaesthesia and the anaesthetist at a tertiary health care facility in Ghana

Background: Anaesthesia has always been misconstrued as a ‘behind the scenes’ specialty. Despite advancements in anaesthesia, there is inadequate public knowledge regarding the specialty, the scope of the functions of anaesthetists, and the pivotal role anaesthetists play in the healthcare delivery system. This study therefore assessed the knowledge and perception of anaesthesia and the role of anaesthetists among patients in a tertiary healthcare facility.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over 3 months in 2015 among 279 patients accessing services at the pre-anaesthetic clinic of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, their knowledge and perceptions about anaesthesia, and the role of anaesthetists.Results: The majority of patients (62.4%) had heard about anaesthesia. Most (85%) knew that specially trained doctors or nurses were responsible for the delivery of anaesthesia. Nearly half the patients indicated anaesthesia was all about ‘putting people to sleep and waking them up’.Less than 15% of patients had knowledge of the role of anaesthetists outside the confines of the operating theatre suites.Conclusion: A considerable number of patients had heard about anaesthesia and knew the people responsible for the delivery of anaesthesia. The perception of most patients is that anaesthesia is all about ‘putting patients to sleep and waking them up’. There was poor knowledge of patients regarding the role of anaesthetists beyond the confines of the operating theatre.