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Research Article| Volume 60, ISSUE 1, P75-78, January 2007

Patient satisfaction following abdominoplasty: an NHS experience

  • T.W.H. Bragg
    Correspondence
    Corresponding author. Browns Cottage, Blakesley, Nr Towcester, Northants NN12 8RE, United Kingdom. Tel.: +44 27980 300273.
    Affiliations
    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, George Eliot Hospital, College Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ, UK
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  • R.M. Jose
    Affiliations
    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, George Eliot Hospital, College Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ, UK
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  • S. Srivastava
    Affiliations
    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, George Eliot Hospital, College Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ, UK
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Published:September 05, 2006DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2006.05.017

      Summary

      Abdominoplasty is one of the few cosmetic procedures performed in the UK on the National Health Service (NHS). In the current climate of tight resource rationing many primary care trusts (PCTs) are refusing to fund such operations, resulting in a number being carried out in the independent sector. There are very few studies in the literature on patient satisfaction following abdominoplasty, with none from the UK. Our study aimed to look at the patient satisfaction rate following abdominoplasty in the NHS and study further the areas of dissatisfaction. A questionnaire survey was sent to 153 patients who underwent the procedure over a 5-year period. Replies were received from 118 (78%) patients, revealing a 77% satisfaction rate amongst responders. Further analysis of the dissatisfied patients revealed particular dissatisfaction with dog-ears, residual abdominal overhang and issues relating to the scar. The dissatisfied group was exclusively female from across the age spectrum, although analysis showed an increase in dissatisfaction with time, with the highest levels seen at 4–6 years post-abdominoplasty. This study has identified a number of areas of patient dissatisfaction, even in carefully selected patients.

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