Single assessment numeric evaluation score as a simplified measure of patient satisfaction following breast...

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that can be efficiently employed after breast reconstruction are being investigated as an alternative to the validated Breast-Q survey to obtain valuable data without survey fatigue. The single assessment numeric evaluation (SANE) has been used to rate function after orthopedic surgery but has not been extrapolated to functional and aesthetic outcomes after breast reconstruction.

Overall, 255 patients who underwent mastectomy and breast reconstruction from 2017 to 2020 were contacted to complete the SANE and Breast-Q Post-op Module for aesthetic and functional outcomes. Demographics, comorbidities, treatment, and surgical characteristics were reported, and Pearson Correlation between survey mechanisms was evaluated.

Overall, 91 patients completed both surveys with a mean aesthetic SANE score of 60.6 ± 28.0, and mean Aesthetic Breast-Q score of 61.4 ± 19.8 showing a significant positive correlation between the 2 surveys for aesthetic outcome (R = 0.76, P < 0.001). The mean function SANE score was 74.7 ± 26.4 and mean function Breast-Q was 74.0 ± 21.5, which also had a significant positive correlation (R = 0.532, P < 0.001). In unilateral cases, the SANE scores were consistently higher for the native breast than operated breast.

When applied to breast reconstruction, the SANE scoring tool correlated strongly with the validated Breast-Q for functional and aesthetic outcomes. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the SANE score outside the field of orthopedics. Future studies will focus on the application of this efficient PROM to a larger patient population in a longitudinal setting to evaluate its performance as a repeated measure.