A total of 14 studies were identified and were included in the review. Four were randomised controlled trials, whilst the others used convenience or consecutive samples.
Of the 14 studies included in the review, 3 used interviews only for data collection, 6 either mailed or handed questionnaires to patients, and 5 used a combination of these approaches. All but one of the authors of the primary studies had developed their own questionnaires. Only 6 studies employed any psychometric tests on the instruments used. The majority of the studies reported high levels of patient satisfaction with anaesthesia. However, when the patients were given an opportunity to express themselves freely, they noted certain unsatisfactory elements in the care received from anaesthetists.
None of the 14 studies controlled for confounding variables such as social desirability. Four studies had seriously biassed their data collection, and the majority of the studies lacked rigour in the development of the instrument used to measure patient satisfaction. Only one study presented a definition of the concept measured, and none provided a conceptual model of patients' satisfaction with anaesthesia services.