The Body-QoL®: Measuring Patient Reported Outcomes in Body Contouring Surgery Patients

Background This study aimed to design a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument to measure patient satisfaction after body-contouring procedures such as liposculpture, abdominoplasty, body-lift, thigh-lift, and arm-lift. Methods Phase 1a involved an extensive literature review, 16 in-depth patient interviews, and expert focus groups with 5 plastic surgeons to develop a conceptual framework for the outcomes deemed important for body image and preliminary PRO instruments. In phase 1b, the preliminary instrument was tested with a second independent sample of 29 patients with whom simple interviews were additionally performed. In the second sample, scale reliability was calculated. Results In phase 1a, the domains identified for the conceptual framework included clothing and body image, sexual and affective life, self-image and self-esteem, social relationships, and physical symptoms. In phase 1b, the scale internal consistency was 91.5 %. Conclusions When psychometric evaluation is completed, the Body-Shape-Related Quality of Life instrument and its subscales will provide a reliable tool for plastic surgeons, researchers, and patients to use in measuring the impact and effectiveness of body-contouring procedures from the patient’s perspective. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 . This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each submission to which Evidence-Based Medicine rankings are applicable. This excludes Review Articles, Book Reviews, and manuscripts that concern Basic Science, Animal Studies, Cadaver Studies, and Experimental Studies. For a full description of these Evidence-B