![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)
Orthognathic Surgery can have a substantial impact on a patient’s facial appearance, function, and quality of life. We evaluate 5 years’ of data on patients’ perception of their ‘Orthognathic Surgery’ experience using a standardised questionnaire. To our knowledge, we are the first Orthognathic Unit in the United Kingdom to provide long-term data on patient-centred outcomes following surgery.
Methods/Materials
In total, 103 patients who had undergone Orthognathic Surgery at Northwick Park Hospital between 2008 and 2013 were included in our 5-year audit. At the start of our audit, patients were invited to complete a ‘paper’ version of the questionnaire in the Unit. However, the questionnaire has since been added to Monkey Survey to improve compliance. Our questionnaire addressed 53 parameters of care subdivided into 7 sections of the patient journey.
Results/Statistics
Overall, the response rate averaged 70% per year. The majority of patients noted appearance as the most important motive for surgery. The psychological implications are unmistakable; nearly all patients report an improvement in facial appearance and self-esteem (95%).
Significantly, there has been an increase in post-operative dietician support, management of pain and satisfaction with clinical staff. Post-operative surgical complications (e.g. sensory dysfunction) have also been explored.
The overall satisfaction was very high (96%), the same percentage of patients ‘recommending’ the Unit.
Conclusions/Clinical Relevance
Our patient satisfaction survey has proved a useful tool for assessing aspects of clinical practice at Northwick Park Hospital. Evaluation of our data shows that great improvements continue to be made. We have introduced user-friendly ‘Pamphlet’ that is now part of our routine practice.