Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Apr 28:2:11214.
doi: 10.3389/jaws.2023.11214. eCollection 2023.

Quality of Life With a Hernia-A Novel Patient Led Study

Susannah Hill  1 , Jackie Bullock  1 , David Lars Sanders  2
Affiliations

Quality of Life With a Hernia-A Novel Patient Led Study

Susannah Hill et al. J Abdom Wall Surg. .

Abstract

Introduction: Abdominal wall hernia surgery aims to relieve symptoms and to improve quality of life (QoL). The aim of this novel patient led research, was to help surgeons understand how hernias impact on patients' wellbeing. Methods: A questionnaire was developed by patient advocates. It was promoted through social media to gather anonymous feedback from patients. Results: 264 questionnaires were completed. The majority of the respondents were female (78.4%, n = 207), from English speaking countries (85.2%, n = 225), and had either parastomal hernias (36.0%, n = 95) or incisional hernias (28.0%, n = 74). Respondents described how their hernia affected sexual intimacy, either due to the dislike of their physical appearance, pain or the practicalities of their hernia getting in the way. They reported that their hernia restricted them from engaging in certain exercise activities, and a significant proportion also reported an impact on their diet. Conclusion: This study has identified that in addition to functional problems, living with a hernia can affect mental health as well as social and physical relationships. Existing hernia QoL tools are limited in the outcomes that they measure. Without a comprehensive hernia specific QoL tool, it remains difficult for a surgeon to accurately assess the impact that different treatment modalities may have on patients.

Keywords: abdominal wall; hernia; incisional hernia; parastomal hernia; quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Whether patients have had hernia repair surgery.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Negative impact on sex by hernia type.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Negative impact on sex by age.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Does your hernia affect your excercise routine.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Patients who reported a change in their diet.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Reasons for change in diet.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Grove TN, Muirhead LJ, Parker SG, Brogden DRL, Mills SC, Kontovounisios C, et al. Measuring Quality of Life in Patients with Abdominal wall Hernias: a Systematic Review of Available Tools. Hernia (2021) 25(2):491–500. 10.1007/s10029-020-02210-w - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smith OAM. A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Patients with Complex Abdominal wall Hernia (CAWH). MD Thesis. University of Hull; (2021). Available from: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.846304 (Accessed August 31, 2022).
    1. World Health Organization. Quality of Life (WHOQOL) (2012). Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-HIS-HSI-Rev.2012.03 (Accessed November 16, 2022).
    1. Mawer S, Alhawaj AF. Physiology, Defecation. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls; (2022). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539732 (Accessed January 13, 2023). - PubMed
    1. Dunbar RIM. Breaking Bread: the Functions of Social Eating. Adapt Hum Behav Physiol (2017) 3:198–211. 10.1007/s40750-017-0061-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources