The Rhinoplasty Health Care Monitor: An Update on the Practical and Clinical Benefits after 10 Years of Prospective Outcome Measurements

Abstract

AbstractThe era of value-based health care is characterized by an increasing interest in patient-reported health outcomes. For this purpose we developed the rhinoplasty health care monitor (RHM), a streamlined outcome measurement protocol, including all rhinoplasty patients since 2014. Statistical analyses of patient-reported outcome data are automated and visually presented on a custom web-based dashboard. We describe the clinical and practical benefits of the RHM and discuss how routine prospective outcome measurements have upgraded our care standards. For this prospective study, 979 consecutive patients referred for functional (revision) rhinoplasty from April 2014 to August 2023 were included. Preoperative and 3- and 12-month postoperative scores on the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation scale (NOSE), Utrecht Questionnaire (UQ), and visual analog scales (VAS) were obtained. Of 979 referred patients, 599 (61.2%) were eligible for rhinoplasty. One year postoperatively, mean NOSE scale sum score improved from 69.1 ± 22.8 to 23.1 ± 23.5 (p < 0.001). Functional VAS scores improved from 4.1 ± 2.8 (left) and 4.1 ± 2.8 (right) to 7.5 ± 1.9 (left) and 7.3 ± 2.0 (right; p < 0.001). Mean UQ sum score improved from 12.0 ± 6.4 to 6.8 ± 3.3 and aesthetic VAS score improved from 4.5 ± 2.5 to 7.4 ± 1.7 (p < 0.001) 1 year postoperatively. Benefits of the outcome routine were improved patient selection, data-driven expectation management and patient empowerment, and targeted critical appraisals of surgical performance. In conclusion, routine, automated, prospective outcome monitoring provides physicians with a response to the increasing demand for data-driven insights in health outcomes. The limited effort that is needed to gather and monitor outcome data is heavily repaid by valuable insights into aspects of care that can be improved.