Pre- and postoperative evaluation of the effect of reconstructive surgery on patient quality of life and self-esteem: a prospective study of 52 patients
Introduction: Benign and malignant skin lesions can affect patients' quality of life and self-esteem; thus, reconstructive plastic surgery is important for these individuals. The objective is to assess the effect of reconstructive plastic surgery on the quality of life (QoL) and self-esteem in...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda.
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.rbcp.org.br/export-pdf/2049/en_v33n2a16.pdf |
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| Summary: | Introduction: Benign and malignant skin lesions can affect patients' quality of life and self-esteem; thus, reconstructive plastic surgery is important for these individuals. The objective is to assess the effect of reconstructive plastic surgery on the quality of life (QoL) and self-esteem in patients with benign or malignant skin lesions.
Methods: This quasi-experimental "pre-post study" measured QoL using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. For the measure of self-esteem, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used. The changes in scores of both instruments were measured before and after surgery, and the statistical significance of the difference was evaluated using a paired sample t test. The proportion of individuals with an increased QoL score and self-esteem according to sociodemographic variables, lesion or disease characteristics, surgical treatment classification, and stressful events was measured, whereas the statistical significance was assessed using the chi-square test.
Results: Fifty-two patients were interviewed. After the surgical intervention, significant improvement in QoL score in most SF-36 domains (emotional, physical, social, pain, general health, and mental health aspects) and improvement in the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale score were noted. The factors associated with a higher probability of improvements in QoL and self-esteem after surgery were age =60 years, white skin color, higher education level, occurrence of a stressful event, and malignant neoplasia.
Conclusions: Reconstructive surgery positively affected several domains of QoL and self-esteem, showing other improvements in patient health beyond its technical and clinical benefits. |
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| ISSN: | 1983-5175 2177-1235 |