Patient Satisfaction with Phacoemulsification Cataract Surgery: Correlations with Effective Phaco Time, Surgical Methods, and General Health Status in a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Southern Taiwan

Purpose: To evaluate factors that affect patient satisfaction with phacoemulsification cataract surgery performed in the tertiary referral center of a medical university hospital in Southern Taiwan.Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed data for 80 patients who had received surgery during the study period. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate how the following factors affected patient satisfaction: pre- and post-operative visual status, peri- and intra-operative parameters and methods, and general health.Results: Effective phaco time (EPT) and post-operative best-corrected visual acuity were the two main factors in patient satisfaction. Satisfaction correlated negatively with post-operative astigmatism, operation time, nucleus removal by divide-and-conquer method, and history of hypertension.Conclusions: Using modern phaco technology to decrease EPT and counseling patients to expect a reasonable post-operative refraction can increase patient satisfaction after cataract surgery.