Facial Plast Surg 2002; 18(2): 073-076
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-32196
Copyright © 2002 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

Outcomes Research and Facial Plastic Surgery

Michael G. Stewart, Jennifer P. Porter
  • The Bobby R. Alford Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Communicative Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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Publikationsdatum:
13. Juni 2002 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Outcomes research examines the delivery of medical care from the patient's perspective, using unique instruments and methodologies. Outcome studies can measure the effectiveness of treatments or interventions in individual patients or in large populations, using prospective observational research designs. The steps in performing outcomes research are as follows: identify and define the disease or procedure of interest, create a staging system for disease severity, identify important co-morbid conditions, choose or design an outcomes instrument to measure treatment outcomes, and design a study to assess outcomes prospectively. Although there is currently a dearth of outcomes instruments available for use in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, some new instruments are being developed, and even using existing tools outcomes research should prove to be a valuable research tool for facial plastic surgeons to demonstrate improved quality of life and functional status in their patients.

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