Questionnaire assesses patient QoL after facial aesthetic surgery

A questionnaire that allows surgeons to better assess the impact of facial aesthetic surgery on a patient’s quality of life was highly regarded, according to a presentation at a panel discussion during The Aesthetic Meeting in San Francisco.

“The Face-Q is a welcome addition to my practice,” James C. Grotting, MD, a plastic surgeon in Birmingham, Ala., and clinical professor of plastic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Wisconsin, said in a press release from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “It is targeted, and the questions are relevant to particular patients, procedures and surgeons, and can be used by researchers and clinicians.”

James C. Grotting

The questionnaire/survey tool was created by Andrea Pusic, MD, associate professor at Cornell University. More than 1,000 questionnaires, which are available to surgeons, have been completed, according to the release.

Grotting presented findings from results of a survey of 250 face-lift patients regarding satisfaction, along with a study of nearly 50 of his patients who utilized the Face-Q survey. At 1 year after surgery, the patients were satisfied and their quality of life had improved, the release said, adding “a patient’s social confidence and psychological well-being improves post-op, including the manners by which they interact with the world and how they feel about themselves.”

“By using Dr. Pusic’s tool, I have learned things about my own procedures that I would not have learned about otherwise,” Grotting said. “I have learned about my patients, including their social function and how they feel in relationships with friends and family — all of which are tied to their surgical outcomes.”

Disclosure: James C. Grotting, MD, reported financial ties with Keller Medical and Ideal Implant.

For more information:

Grotting JC. Panel Discussion. Presented at: The Aesthetic Meeting 2014; April 24-29, San Francisco.