title: The utility of outcome studies in plastic surgery.
abstract: Outcome studies help provide the evidence-based science rationalizing treatment end results that factor the experience of patients and the impact on society. They improve the recognition of the shortcoming in clinical practice and provide the foundation for the development of gold standard care. With such evidence, health care practitioners can develop evidence-based justification for treatments and offer patients with superior informed consent for their treatment options. Furthermore, health care and insurance agencies can recognize improved cost-benefit options in the purpose of disease prevention and alleviation of its impact on the patient and society. Health care outcomes are ultimately measured by the treatment of disease, the reduction of symptoms, the normalization of laboratory results and physical measures, saving a life, and patient satisfaction. In this review, we outline the tools available to measure outcomes in plastic surgery and subsequently allow the objective measurements of plastic surgical conditions. Six major outcome categories are discussed: (1) functional measures; (2) preference-based measures and utility outcome scores; (3) patient satisfaction; (4) health outcomes and time; (5) other tools: patient-reported outcome measurement information system, BREAST-Q, and Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons; and (6) cost-effectiveness analysis. We use breast hypertrophy requiring breast reduction as an example throughout this review as a representative plastic surgical condition with multiple treatments available.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.; Division of Plastic Surgery, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Hani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sinno
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.; Division of Plastic Surgery, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Tassos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dionisopoulos
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.; Division of Plastic Surgery, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Sumner A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Slavin
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.; Division of Plastic Surgery, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Ahmed M S
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.; Division of Plastic Surgery, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.; Division of Plastic Surgery, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Samuel J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin