Gynecologic Surgical Outcomes Through the Patient's Eyes: Are Physicians Looking in the Same Direction?

Abstract

Importance: Patient-centered care integrates the highest clinical standards with patient preferences surrounding their treatment. Increasing focus is being placed on the identification of patient-centered outcomes to optimize the impact of medical treatments on patient quality of life, as defined by patients themselves.

Objective: This article will review the central concepts of patient-centered outcomes in benign gynecologic surgery. This expert review will serve as a practical guide for surgeons to incorporate patient preferences into shared surgical decision making.

Evidence acquisition: The current literature is examined, defining those outcomes identified by women undergoing gynecologic procedures as the most important factors in their decision making. Available literature on these patient-identified priorities is then reviewed with respect to gynecologic surgery in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods.

Results: Each section of the article concludes with Clinical Pearls, where practical tools and key elements are summarized to assist providers with incorporating these concepts into practice.

Conclusions and relevance: Many key outcomes have been identified by women undergoing benign gynecologic surgery in their decision-making process. Patient counseling should address clinically appropriate treatment modalities and include an exploration of patient expectations and preferences around nonclinical outcomes as well. This shared decision-making model will result in improved satisfaction with outcomes.