Patient-reported outcome measures in septorhinoplasty
Reviewed by Thomas Jacques

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used increasingly in surgical research to quantify the efficacy of surgical interventions. This can help to fill an ‘evidence gap’ where healthcare rationing threatens particular treatments. Procedures aimed at improving quality of life, especially with a cosmetic element such as septorhinoplasty, are termed ‘procedures of limited clinical efficacy’ by many UK commissioning groups. The authors used the validated Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation (ROE) questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction in 100 patients. The satisfaction score overall was 73.3%. In supplemental questions, 75% of patients were happy with the result of the procedure, and 83% would be happy to undergo the procedure again based on the final outcome. The ROE tool would ideally be used longitudinally to compare preoperative and postoperative scores, which was not performed in this study. Nevertheless the study provides good evidence of efficacy from a patient-centred perspective, an essential indicator in quality of life surgery. However, patient satisfaction alone may not necessarily be deemed sufficient justification for NHS funding for partly cosmetic interventions.

Patient reported outcome measures in septorhinoplasty surgery.
Biggs TC, Fraser LR, Ward MJ, et al.
ANNALS OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND
2015;97:63-5.