Understanding and Optimizing the Patient Experience in Breast Reconstruction

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Patient Experience
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Optimizing patient experience is crucial in healthcare quality, yet surgeons often lack awareness of their performance in breast reconstruction.
• This study addresses the need to evaluate patient satisfaction in breast reconstruction care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient satisfaction with the care experience in a multicenter cohort of breast reconstruction patients.
• To identify aspects of care amenable to quality improvement.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 2093 patients across 11 North American centers.
• 1534 patients completed BREAST-Q Satisfaction with Care scales at 3 months post-reconstruction.

Main Results:

• Lowest satisfaction scores were reported for 'Satisfaction with Information' (mean=72.8).
• Patients with immediate reconstruction reported lower satisfaction with their surgeon compared to delayed reconstruction.
• Minority racial groups reported the lowest satisfaction across all care scales.

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps exist in patient knowledge regarding expected outcomes after breast reconstruction.
• Immediate reconstruction patients and minority groups require targeted interventions and resources.
• Enhancing patient education is key to delivering patient-centered care and improving quality.