Abstract Background Patient-reported experience measures are tools used to gather feedback from patients about their experiences of healthcare services, which are crucial for improving the quality of care from the perspective of patients. The aim of this systematic review was to identify surgery-related patient-reported experience measures, evaluate their psychometric properties, appraise and identify recurring themes within qualitative studies on surgical care, and identify potential bias in study designs. Methods PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database, and the Cochrane Library, along with clinical trial registries, were searched for articles on surgery-specific patient-reported experience measures and qualitative studies on patients’ experiences up to 21 September 2023. Manual coding was used for theme identification and grouping based on thematic synthesis principles. Joanna Briggs Institute tools were used for risk-of-bias assessment and a revised version of the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist was used for appraisal of patient-reported experience measures. Results A total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria, identifying seven patient-reported experience measures. Key patient experience themes included communication with healthcare providers, care setting environment, overall satisfaction, pre-admission information, coordination of care, waiting time, surgical experience, post-surgery support, impact on life, and healthcare information and technology management. Internal consistency was reported adequately across all patient-reported experience measures. Other psychometric properties were questionable. Conclusion Inadequate psychometric evaluations of some patient-reported experience measures in surgery highlight the need for rigorous validity and reliability assessments. Identification of thematic patterns emphasizes the importance of ongoing research to explore patients’ experiences in surgical contexts. Clinical staff can use this information to enhance communication, reduce waiting time, and improve the overall patient experience by addressing highlighted areas.