Factors Determining Patient Satisfaction in Rhinoplasty: Analysis of 506 cases with Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess patients' satisfaction on the basis of their demographic features, postoperative follow-up duration and the surgeon’s experience level by using the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation . Material and Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective observational study and a total of 506 patients who underwent rhinoplasty were investigated. Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation questionnaire was performed to evaluate patient satisfaction after rhinoplasty operation. Results: The sample included 255 (50.4%) males and 251(49.6%) females. The mean age of the patients was 27.49 years and the mean follow-up duration was 48.5 months. In the whole study group; the mean Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation score was 69.7. It was observed that the satisfaction scores of the patients who were <30 years old were higher than the scores of those ≥30 years old (p=0.041). There was no statistically significant correlation between the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation score and gender (p=0.170). The satisfaction scores were higher in the short-term follow-up group (1-6 months) than the mid-term follow-up group (7-12 months) whereas the scores of the prolonged follow-up group (above 12 months) were the lowest (p=0.026). The percentage of the patients who defined their results as unsuccessful was 8.6% and 28.7% respectively in consultant surgeon and resident surgeon groups (p<0.001). Conclusion: Patients’ quality of life and satisfaction level might be influenced by some subjective factors such as patient’s perception of the pre and post operative appearance, patient’s expectations and temperament. We conclude that the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation questionnaire is a simple and useful tool for evaluating outcomes of rhinoplasty. Young age, experienced surgeon and short follow-up duration are the factors that have positive effects on the satisfaction scores of rhinoplasty patients, while gender does not have a significant effect.