Assessing Perioperative Patient Distress in Office-Based Hand Surgery

Anthony Siler*, Shafic M. Sraj, and Emily Ellis

Department of Orthopaedics/Hand Service, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26501

Presentation Category: Oral-Science & Technology (Oral Presentation #33)

Student’s Major: Biology

Office-Based Hand Surgery (OBHS) is gaining popularity compared to hand surgery done in the Operating room because of its convenience and cost benefits. Some patients are concerned about being awake during the surgery, however. Patient experience has not been previously assessed in OBHS, and exploring expected and actual distress levels allows patients to make informed decisions regarding OBHS. The goal of this study is to assess patient distress levels starting at the time of surgical decision through the early recovery phase. We are in the process of recruiting 50-100+ patients to complete distress surveys prior to, during, and following OBHS. We are using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) and Subjective Units of Distress/ Disturbance Scale (SUDS). We are applying SUDS to previously identified sources of distress including needle sticks, surgical pain, discomfort, outcome, etc. The secondary goal of this study is to identify patient variables that may contribute to an over prediction of distress, measured by the difference between pre- and post-operative distress scores. We predict an increasing level of distress up until the surgery, followed by a significant decline postoperatively once they realize how minimally invasive the surgery was. Understanding the patient experience will help surgeons gain knowledge about what causes patient distress in OBHS, develop screening tools for OBHS, and find methods to mitigate perioperative distress in OBHS.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course