Pain Interference and Decreased Physical Function After Emergency General Surgery: Measuring Patient-Reported...

Area of Science:

• Surgical Outcomes
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Health-Related Quality of Life

Background:

• Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly emphasized in healthcare.
• This area is underexplored in emergency general surgery (EGS).
• This study investigates HRQoL changes in postoperative EGS patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in postoperative EGS patients.
• To compare patient-reported outcomes to the general US population.
• To identify domains needing improvement in EGS care.

Main Methods:

• Administered the PROMIS-29 HRQoL tool to 97 postoperative EGS patients.
• Compared patient scores to US population averages.
• Analyzed changes in HRQoL domains over time using paired t-tests.

Main Results:

• EGS patients reported significantly greater pain interference and worse physical function compared to the general population.
• No significant differences were found in social roles, anxiety, fatigue, or sleep.
• Follow-up visits showed improvements in physical function and fatigue.

Conclusions:

• Postoperative EGS patients experience significant challenges with pain and physical function.
• Improvements in HRQoL domains are possible over a short follow-up period.
• Clinicians should consider patient perceptions of illness and lifestyle impact in EGS management.