BACKGROUND: This study was performed to compare anesthetic agents and adjuvants for general anesthesia or regional anesthesia between university hospitals, resident-training general hospitals and hospitals without training program of residents. METHODS: We surveyed university hospitals, resident-training hospitals and hospitals without training program of residents and divided randomly each hospital groups to become twenty hospitals. We compared the use frequency of inhalation anesthetics, muscle relaxants, induction agents, reversing agents, local anesthetics, premedicants, cardiovascular drugs and plasma expanders. RESULTS: Enflurane was most commonly used inhalation anesthetic in all hospital groups. Isoflurane was less commonly used inhalation anesthetic in hospitals without training program of residents. Pancuronium was most commonly used muscle relaxant in university hospitals. Midazolam, ketamine, fentanyl, propofol were commonly used induction agents during induction in university hospitals and resident-training general hospitals. Differences of use frequency of local anesthetics among hospital groups were not significant, but epinephrine mixing with local anesthetics was more frequent in university hospitals and resident-training general hospitals. Midazolam as a premedicant and norepinephrine, phenylephrine, amrinone, esmolol, pentastarch were less used in hospitals without training program of residents. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that university hospitals and resident-training general hospitals didn't show difference in anesthestics or adjuvants but hospitals without training program of residents used less commonly isoflurane, atracurium, midazolam, ketamine, propofol, fentanyl, cardiovascular drugs and pentastarch.