Does Surgeon Frustration and Satisfaction with the Operation Predict Outcomes of Open or Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair?
Received 11 November 2004; accepted 17 November 2004.
Background
A surgeon’s level of frustration when performing an operation and level of satisfaction at completion may be correlated with patients’ outcomes. We evaluated the relationship between the attending surgeons’ frustration and satisfaction and recurrence and complications of open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
Study design
Men with detectable inguinal hernias were randomized to undergo open or laparoscopic herniorrhaphy at 14 Veterans Affairs hospitals. After completion of the procedure, surgeons were asked to assess their level of frustration during the operation and their overall satisfaction with the operative result. Two subjective scales ranging from 1 (not frustrated/not satisfied) to 5 (very frustrated/very satisfied) were used to independently assess both parameters. Reasons for surgeon frustration were evaluated. Patients were followed for 2 years for recurrence and complications.
Results
Of 1,983 patients who underwent hernia repair, 1,622 were available for analysis; 808 had open repair and 813 had laparoscopic repair. Surgeons reported less frustration and more satisfaction with open than with laparoscopic repair (p = 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). Frustration was associated with a higher rate of hernia recurrence at 2 years (adjusted odds ratio, 2.01, 95% CI, 1.15−3.51) in open repair, and a higher overall rate of postoperative complications (adjusted odds ratio, 1.27, 95% CI, 1.03−1.56) in both open and laparoscopic hernia repair. Satisfaction was not correlated with recurrence or complications.
Conclusions
The level of a surgeon’s frustration during performance of an inguinal herniorrhaphy was a better predictor of outcomes of the operation than was satisfaction with the procedure. Sources of intraoperative frustration should be controlled to improve outcomes.
⁎Michael E DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
†Department of Surgery, Veterans Affairs Boston Health Care System and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
‡Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Hines, IL
§Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
∥Department of Preventive Medicine, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
¶Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
⁎⁎Department of Surgery, Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
Correspondence address: Leigh Neumayer, MD, MS, Surgical Service, 500 Foothill Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84148.
Competing interests declared: None.
Supported by a grant from the Cooperative Studies Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development (CSP# 456), Washington, DC.
ABSTRACT