Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction Following Abdominoplasty

Abstract

Background Abdominoplasty is a popular cosmetic procedure that involves the surgical excision of extra ab-dominal skin and fat, plication of the rectus muscle fascia, and umbilicus transposition with the purpose of improving the abdominal contour. Despite having a significant complication rate, partic-ularly in individuals with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, and smoking, it has been discovered to have a high success rate. Furthermore, combining liposuction with abdominoplasty has been shown to improve patient satisfaction and decrease the number of re-operations. This study aimed to determine the factors that affect patient satisfaction following ab-dominoplasty using a self-administered questionnaire and the Body-Q. These question-naires were to be administered through a face - to -face interview with the patient during the pre-operative clinic visit. A second interview will be conducted 1 to 3 months post-operatively to determine the patient’s satisfaction with the procedure as well as to document any complications that the patient might have encountered. This will be done as either in person interviews at the postoperative clinic or telephone in-terviews. The Body-Q questionnaire will be utilized to assess patient satisfaction with the abdominal contour before and after abdominoplasty, as well as the impact on pa-tient satisfaction. It will be administered at the same time with the other question-naire. Broad objective To determine factors that influence patient satisfaction following abdominoplasty. Study design and population A prospective longitudinal study of 44 adult patients undergoing abdominoplasty. Study site 9 Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Coptic hospital, Plastic Surgery, Outpatient clinics, wards, and theatre. Study duration 6 months Materials and method Patients presenting to the outpatient clinic for abdominoplasty will be recruited. After consent / as-sent to participate, a history and physical examination will be conducted. Those who meet the inclu-sion criteria shall be subjected to the Body Q questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with ab-dominal contour before the surgery and after the surgery. At the same time, another questionnaires will be administered to capture patient demographics and risk factors. Intra-operatively, the principal investigator will act as an observer to garner information on the sur-gical technique and any adjuncts used. This will allow for correlation of surgical technique and pa-tient satisfaction at the end of the study. The surgeons will be asked to carry out the surgical proce-dure in their usual manner, with no adjustments for purposes of the research study. 1 to 3 months post-operatively, another interview will be conducted to investigate the complications encountered by the patient and their satisfaction with the results of the overall procedure. Categorical data will be analyzed and presented as frequency and proportion. Where applicable, continuous data will be examined as a mean with standard deviation or as a median with an inter-quartile range. Fischer’s exact test and Pearson correlation will be used to associate complications and surgical technique with patient satisfaction. Utility of the study The evaluation of success of aesthetic surgery is not only dependent on the technical aspects of the surgery, but also on the patient’s reported outcome such as satisfaction. There are various surgical techniques and adjuncts used when performing an abdominoplasty. This study will aim to advise on which techniques and adjuncts offer the highest patient satisfaction rates with the least number of complications. Aesthetic surgery is not new in Kenya, but it has just started gaining popularity. Therefore, such a study will be beneficial in streamlining surgical techniques, adjuncts used and patient selection when carrying out abdominoplasty. Results Patient satisfaction following abdominoplasty was found to be high at 92%. This is comparable to other studies that have been quoted throughout our paper. Factors that were thought to contribute to patient satisfaction positively were high preoperative BMI and the procedure meeting patients ex- 10 pectations. The factors that were detrimental to patient satisfaction included prolonged hospital stay and time off work due to development of complications.