Patients have higher expectations than surgeons for foot and ankle surgery
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Two-thirds of patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery have higher expectations than their surgeons, according to published results.
Psychological aspects, symptoms and physical function were the postoperative outcomes in which patients had higher, opposing expectations than their surgeons.
Researchers analyzed 202 patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery. Diagnoses included hallux valgus, ankle arthritis, hallux rigidus, adult-acquired flatfoot deformity and chronic tendon injury, according to the study abstract.
Preoperatively, patients reported sociodemographic data and completed Hospital for Special Surgery Foot & Ankle Surgery Expectations survey and the Patient-Rated Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) survey.
According to the abstract, results showed 66.3% of patients had higher expectations than their surgeons, 21.3% had similar expectations and 12.4% had lower expectations.
The greatest differences in patient and surgeon expectations came from patients with worse PROMIS scores in physical function, pain interference, pain intensity, global physical health and depression.
“Patients with worse baseline physical and mental status and higher BMI tended to have higher expectations than their surgeons,” the researchers wrote in the abstract. “These results emphasize the importance for foot and ankle surgeons to adequately educate patients regarding realistic postoperative outcomes,” they added.
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Macmahon A, et al. Poster 171. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 24-28, 2020 (meeting canceled).
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