Overview
Outcomes research studies results that matter to patients, such as satisfaction and quality of life. In facial plastic surgery, most results are judged by patient and surgeon opinion, with little effort to measure them objectively. The author reviews the basis of outcomes research, proposes its use in facial plastic surgery, and presents four questionnaires developed for this purpose.
Findings
- Outcomes research focuses on patient-related results such as satisfaction and quality of life.
- Many facial plastic surgery outcomes are subjective judgments by the patient and the surgeon.
- Little had been done to quantify these results in an objective way.
- Four new outcomes instruments were developed and provided.
- The instruments measure quality-of-life results of rhytidectomy, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty and skin rejuvenation.
- The abstract gives no validation data or patient numbers.
What it means for a patient
- Surgeons can use standard questionnaires to measure how you feel about your facelift result and how it affects your quality of life.
- Ask whether your surgeon collects patient-reported outcomes and can share them.
- This paper presents the questionnaires. The abstract does not report testing them in patients.
Why this paper matters
It proposed applying outcomes research to facial plastic surgery and offered a facelift-specific quality-of-life questionnaire among four new instruments. This set a basis for measuring facelift results from the patient's view. Cited 247 times (NIH iCite, 2026-09-25).
Terms
- Outcomes research: study of treatment results that matter to patients, such as satisfaction and quality of life.
- Outcomes instrument: a standard questionnaire used to measure results.
- Quality of life: how a condition or treatment affects a person's daily life and well-being.
- Subjective evaluation: a judgment based on personal opinion.
- Rhytidectomy: the medical name for a facelift.
- Blepharoplasty: eyelid surgery.
- Rhinoplasty: nose surgery.
- Skin rejuvenation: treatments such as peels or lasers that improve skin surface.