Patient Outcomes and Satisfaction After Mohs Micrographic Surgery in Patients With Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Background: Quality in medicine is increasingly being measured through patient-reported outcome measures. Given the rising incidence and costs for nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) treatment, it is imperative to define quality measures specific to dermatologic surgery.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) together with patient and tumor factors to better define their use in developing treatment strategies and quality measures.

Methods and materials: A prospective study was conducted among 226 patients undergoing MMS for treatment of NMSC. Patient demographics, quality of life, functional status, satisfaction, and prognostic factors were gathered. Postoperative outcomes were measured at 1 month and included patient-reported problems and provider-reported complications. Relationships between patient factors and outcomes were evaluated through statistical analysis.

Results: Average patient satisfaction in the domain of general satisfaction of the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 was 4.34 of 5. General patient satisfaction did not differ across age, final defect size, sex, or prognostic scores. At 1-month postoperatively, 97 percent of patients expressed willingness to undergo future MMS if indicated.

Conclusion: Patients are generally satisfied with MMS for treatment of NMSC. Specific patient factors that may affect satisfaction include smoking status and anticoagulation use.