Attending a patient education seminar before body-contouring surgery and its effect on total time admitted to hospital and postsurgical opioid use - a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To investigate whether attending a one-day patient education seminar before body-contouring surgery after massive weight loss surgery could affect postsurgical opioid use and the total time admitted to the hospital. Secondly, we wanted to see if other patient characteristics could influence the above variables. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients undergoing body-contouring surgery at our department from April 2017 to December 2020. All patients had been invited to attend our patient education seminar prior to surgery, with around half accepting the invitation. Results: We included a total of 276 patients. One hundred fifty patients had attended the patient education seminar and were compared to the one hundred and twenty-six who did not participate. Attending a patient education seminar prior to body-contouring surgery was associated with reduced total admission time after surgery. It did not affect the use of postoperative analgesics. Previous gastric bypass and previous body-contouring surgery were associated with a shorter duration of stay. Males reported higher use of analgesics compared to women. More extensive surgery, such as abdominoplasty and circular body lift, was associated with a longer stay duration than more minor procedures such as thighplasty, upper arm lift, and chest correction. Conclusion: Our results indicate that attending a patient education seminar could reduce the total admission time in relation to their body-contouring surgery. As a result of this study, we have made participation in the patient education seminar mandatory before body-contouring surgery. Practice implications: Healthcare personnel should be aware of the importance of proper pre-operative preparation and, if feasible, arrange a patient education seminar. They should also be aware of other factors that could affect hospital admission time, such as previous gastric bypass and previous body-contouring surgery. The area of surgery and gender of the patients could also affect the need for analgesics after surgery.