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RSVP may help improve surgical outcomes
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THOROFARE, N.J. — Refractive surgery outcomes measurement can give surgeons insight into the sources of postoperative patient dissatisfaction, according to Oliver Schein, MD, MPH, and colleagues.
Dr. Schein used the Refractive Surgery and Vision Profile (RSVP) to measure satisfaction postop in 176 patients from five participating practices. Douglas Koch, MD, described RSVP as "a validated questionnaire for measuring functional status and quality of life in individuals with refractive error."
Preoperatively there were no significant group differences in refractive error, satisfaction with vision or total RSVP score. Change in satisfaction with vision following surgery was correlated with change in the overall RSVP and subscale scores, but not with change in refractive error, Dr. Schein noted.
One of the most striking findings of Dr. Schein's study is that visual acuity is not the sole criterion of patient satisfaction with refractive surgery, said Dr. Koch, commenting on the study.
"Regardless of the visual acuity threshold, it is almost certain that postop uncorrected visual acuity will only partially correlate with patient satisfaction following refractive surgery," Dr. Koch said.
Dr. Schein suggested that RSVP might aid in the optimal selection of patients for refractive surgery, and that practitioners might benefit from an abbreviated form of the RSVP that focuses on screening refractive surgery candidates.
The original article by Dr. Schein and colleagues appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery. A more complete news story on the subject will be published in the Nov. 1, 2001, issue of Ocular Surgery News.