48 % of patients are anxious before surgery, which lowers patient satisfaction.

Patient satisfaction is associated with a range of good health outcomes.

Patient education can reduce preoperative anxiety and increase satisfaction.

This study of 38,689 patients found that educating them increases satisfaction.

Patient education teaches about what to expect from surgery and when to seek help.

Research has found that 48 % of patients are anxious before surgery but patient education which involves preparing them about what to expect is associated with higher satisfaction after surgery. Patient satisfaction is important because previous research found that patients who had surgery in hospitals with the highest quartile of satisfaction had lower relative risk reductions of 11–13 % in 30-day postoperative mortality, minor complications, and failure to rescue. In using patient satisfaction as a metric in surgery, it is not yet known whether exceptions should be made for emergencies and coronavirus patients because of restricted opportunities for patient education.

This study analysed the survey responses of 38,689 patients who had surgery or clinical procedures from UK NHS hospitals. Regression analysis found that patient education (captured in patients’ interactions with surgeons, physicians, and other staff e.g., preparing them about what to expect from surgery or clinical procedures) significantly increased patient satisfaction. It explained 34.9 %–49.7 % of adjusted variance in patient satisfaction. Multivariate analysis of variance found that patient satisfaction was lower after emergencies and among patients in coronavirus wards, likely because of restricted time or opportunities for patient education.

This study shows the benefits of patient education in surgery which prepares patients about what to expect. However, patient satisfaction should not be used as an isolated metric after emergency surgery and that involving coronavirus patients because of restricted time or opportunity for patient education.

Emergency surgery

Patient education

Patient satisfaction

Preoperative anxiety

Preoperative care

Surgical education

Surgical training

© 2025 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.