Patient Experiences With Hand Surgery in the Office Versus Ambulatory Surgery Center

Background In hand surgery, physicians are working to improve patient satisfaction by offering several minor procedures in the physician’s office via the Wide-Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) method. This study investigates the degree of patient satisfaction, out-of-pocket costs, peri- and postoperative pain, convenience, and comfort experienced with in-office hand procedures compared to ambulatory surgery center (ASC) procedures. Methods A 10-question survey consisting of a 10-point Likert scale of agreement and numerical questions was administered to patients treated with minor hand operations in the office and ASC settings in Florida, USA. The surgical procedures included are bony reconstruction, percutaneous pinning, open reduction internal fixation, closed fracture reduction, mass removal, endoscopic carpal tunnel release, Dupuytren's release/tendon repair, and trigger finger release. Procedures and patient demographics were assessed via chart review. Independent samples t-test was used to determine statistical associations with significance defined as p < 0.05. Results Patients reported a strong level of agreement in response to questions 1-3 and 6-8, indicating a high degree of convenience, comfort, and overall satisfaction with both in-office and ASC procedures. Positive metrics gauged in questions 1-3 and 6-8 averaged 9.64 ± 0.14 in the office setting and 9.62 ± 0.16 in the ASC setting. Questions 4 and 5 averaged 2.74 ± 0.29 in the office setting and 2.84 ± 4.12 in the ASC setting, indicating mild disagreement that the surgery or recovery period was painful. In-office patients reported taking 0.91 ± 2.80 days off work and ASC patients reported taking 12.43 ± 22.51 days off work following surgery (p = 0.0039). Respondents reported an out-of-pocket cost averaging $348 ± $943 in the office setting and $574 ± $1262 in the ASC setting, depending on insurance coverage (p = 0.3019). Conclusions Though costs and time off of work differed between the two groups due to the different procedures in either setting, patient satisfaction metrics were comparable. While patient satisfaction depends on the operating physician, these results demonstrate that patients treated in-office and in an ASC have similar levels of approval with their hand surgery care.