title: The effects of fellow patients on the emotional well-being and satisfaction with care of postoperative cosmetic surgery patients.
abstract: This article reports the findings of a quasi-experimental study that represents the first attempt to systematically examine the possibility that contact with fellow patients after cosmetic surgery significantly influences a patient's postoperative emotional well-being and satisfaction with care. Patients were assigned to rooms that either facilitated ample postoperative contact with other patients (n = 70) or to rooms that were physically located in a manner that afforded little inter-patient contact (n = 9). The results indicate that whereas postoperative depression levels did not differ, patients in the high-patient-contact condition experienced less postoperative anxiety and greater overall satisfaction with their quality of care than did patients in the low-patient-contact condition. Analyses of patients' reported postoperative affiliations suggest several additional benefits of inter-patient contact, such as added emotional support, reduction of uncertainty about what to expect, and the opportunity to compare progress and emotional reactions. The results are consistent with a growing literature that suggests fellow patients can and do serve a useful, adjunctive role in health care. Questions for future research are considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92903-0109, USA. jkulik@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kulik
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shelby
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010361:Patients; D011184:Postoperative Period; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control