Background: The role and professional qualifications of anesthesiologists seem not to be properly recognized in society. The aim of this study was to assess patients’ knowledge about anesthesiologists’ qualifications. The other objective was to evaluate the level of patients’ satisfaction regarding perioperative care. 
Methods: This survey-study was performed among 200 patients of surgical wards in the southeastern Poland. The study protocol consisted eleven close-ended questions concerning patients’ knowledge about anesthesiologists and the assessment of preanesthetic visit and the conduit of anesthesia. Additional information obtained during the study included patients’ demographic data, level of education, kind of surgery, as well as type of hospital and ward. The survey was conducted students of Medical University of Lublin, who were not involved in medical procedures. 
Results: 74% of the respondents were aware of the fact that anesthesiologists are physicians. Patients with high or secondary education more often recognized an anesthetist as a doctor than people with basic one (Pearson Chi2=11.66649, p=0.00862). Patients were offered to choose the type of anesthesia in 59.5% of cases. This opportunity was more frequently given to patients in tertiary (university) hospitals (Pearson Chi2 =17.59179, p=.00734). A preanesthetic visit reduced anxiety of 67,5% of patients. The quality of anesthesia was satisfactory according to 90,5% of patients.
Conclusions: In our study, the patients’ knowledge about professional qualifications of anesthesiologists was similar to the data found in the literature.

The recognition of anesthesiologists among the patients of surgical wards in southeastern Poland