[Translated article] The effect of showing preoperative photographs on patient satisfaction following forefoot surgery

Background: Postoperative outcome measurement typically relies on postoperative radiological results and clinical-functional scales; however, there is a growing interest in considering patient satisfaction (including subjective aspects) as part of the success of forefoot surgery.

Objective: To determine whether showing a preoperative photograph improves satisfaction in postoperative forefoot surgery patients.

Material and methods: An observational, cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted in the foot and ankle unit of our centre. We included 120 participants between 18 and 90 years old who underwent forefoot surgery. The degree of satisfaction was compared using the PSQ-10 questionnaire between a group of patients who received a preoperative foot appearance image at their 3-month postoperative follow-up and those who did not receive it.

Results: The overall satisfaction rate was 78.33% at 3 months after the intervention. The 93.6% of patients who received the photograph were satisfied at the postoperative follow-up, while in the control group, it was 86.2% with a p value of 0.218.

Conclusion: The degree of satisfaction in patients undergoing forefoot surgery is not associated with the presentation of preoperative photographs.