A Standardized Preoperative Group Intervention Is Feasible and Acceptable to Orthognathic Surgery Patients

Nearly 10% of patients remain dissatisfied after orthognathic surgery, largely because of psychoeducational or psychosocial factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a psychoeducationally based group intervention to improve preoperative preparation of orthognathic surgical patients and their caregivers. The intervention consisted of 2 group sessions, with each session lasting 2 hours. The sessions provided realistic expectations of the surgery, offered teaching strategies for coping with pre- and postoperative symptoms of psychopathology, and highlighted the importance of social support. Feasibility was based on attendance, homework completion, and data collection rates, and acceptability was based on post-treatment participant satisfaction scores on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire–8 (CSQ-8) and credibility and expectancy scores on 2 subscales of the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire–Modified (CEQ-M). Twenty-six orthognathic surgical patients were recruited from an outpatient oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic to attend the group-based intervention. Seventy percent of patients who attended at least 1 session completed the 2 sessions, and 64% of those who attended the 2 sessions completed at least 1 homework assignment. The authors successfully collected 84% of the total measures given to patients and their caregivers. The mean satisfaction rating of the patients was 30.12 of 32 (CSQ-8; n = 13; standard deviation [SD], 2.33), the mean credibility rating of the patients and their caregivers was 25.2 of 27 (CEQ-M; n = 20; SD, 1.85), and the mean expectancy rating of the patients and their caregivers was 20.54 of 27 (CEQ-M; n = 20; SD, 4.39). The psychoeducationally based group intervention was feasible and acceptable for participants and their caregivers. This article offers suggestions to further improve the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, including optimizing standardization of data collection procedures, decreasing barriers to access, and increasing participant engagement.