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'Don't be fooled by the patient's make-up'!
1Minimally Invasive Therapy Unit and Endoscopy Training Centre, University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
Summary
Wearing make-up after gynaecological surgery significantly improved patient-reported well-being. However, this cosmetic practice did not correlate with improvements in their actual clinical condition or recovery metrics.
Area of Science:
- Gynaecological Surgery
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
- Postoperative Care
Background:
- Postoperative recovery in gynaecological surgery patients involves monitoring various clinical and subjective parameters.
- Patient well-being is a crucial aspect of recovery, often influenced by psychological and social factors.
- The role of cosmetic interventions, such as make-up, in influencing patient-reported outcomes is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of wearing make-up on the general well-being of patients undergoing gynaecological surgery.
- To assess the correlation between make-up use and objective clinical indicators of recovery.
- To compare patient-reported well-being with clinical status in the postoperative period.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 187 patients undergoing gynaecological surgery across two international centres.
- Daily reviews by blinded interviewers assessing nausea, vomiting, eating, mobilisation, general well-being, and make-up use.
- Statistical analysis to determine the relationship between make-up application and reported well-being versus clinical parameters.
Main Results:
- Patients who started wearing make-up reported a significant improvement in their general well-being.
- Despite improved well-being, a substantial number of patients experienced clinical issues: 33% reported nausea, 25% had urinary catheters, required analgesia, or IV access, 12.5% had food intolerance, and 10% were pyrexial.
- No correlation was found between the use of make-up and the patients' objective clinical condition.
Conclusions:
- Wearing make-up is associated with enhanced subjective well-being in gynaecological surgery patients.
- Cosmetic self-care practices may positively influence psychological recovery but do not reflect clinical improvement.
- Further research is needed to understand the multifaceted aspects of patient recovery beyond purely clinical markers.