Decision Regret in Plastic Surgery: A Summary

Abstract

Background: Patient decision regret can occur following elective healthcare decisions. The current era is focused on patient-reported outcomes, and decision regret is another metric by which surgeons can and should measure postoperative results. Patients who experience decision regret after elective procedures can often blame themselves, the surgeon, or the clinical practice, and this can lead to downstream psychological and economic consequences for all parties involved. Methods: A literature search was conducted on PubMed using the following search terms: (aesthetic surgery) AND (decision regret), (rhinoplasty) AND (decision regret), (face-lift) AND (decision regret), (abdominoplasty) AND (decision regret), (breast augmentation) AND (decision regret), (breast reconstruction) AND (decision regret), (FACE-Q) AND (rhinoplasty), (BREAST-Q) AND (breast augmentation). The following article types were included in the search: randomized controlled trials, meta-analysis, and systematic reviews. Results: After review of the literature, preoperative education, decisional tools, and postoperative complications were found to be the most important factors affecting decision regret after surgery. Conclusions: A better understanding of the factors associated with decision regret can help surgeons provide more effective preoperative counseling and prevent postoperative decision regret. Plastic surgeons can use these tools within a context of shared decision-making and ultimately increase patient satisfaction. Decision regret for plastic surgical procedures was mainly in the context of breast reconstruction. The differences in medical necessity create unique psychological challenges, emphasizing the need for more studies and a better understanding of the topic for other elective and cosmetic surgery procedures.

“Regret after Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Multidisciplinary Approach to a Multifaceted Patient Experience”

“…Decision regret, which refers to distress or remorse over a health care decision, can occur in any patient undergoing any medical intervention. 2 Various studies with comparable follow-up times have investigated regret in other procedures, revealing decision regret rates as high as 65.2%. 3 Despite these rates being significantly higher than any rate reported for GAS in current literature (0.2% to 3%), these procedures continue to be performed without scrutiny of the legitimacy of their potential for positive impact on patient health.…”