Analysis of satisfaction and well-being in the short follow-up from breast augmentation using the BREAST-Q, a validated survey instrument

Background: Improvements in satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation have been shown in the literature. However, few studies have used validated survey instruments. The BREAST-Q is a strong and validated questionnaire for breast augmentation. Objective: The authors implement the BREAST-Q to analyze patient-reported satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation. Methods: In this prospective study, all patients who underwent breast augmentation with a single surgeon (AT) between January 2008 and May 2009 were asked to fill out BREAST-Q surveys anonymously during the preoperative and 6-week postoperative periods. Statistical analysis was performed and a P value of <.05 was considered significant. Results: Of the 155 patients who underwent breast augmentation during the study time period, 59 (38%) completed the preoperative survey and 70 (45%) completed the postoperative survey. Significant improvements were seen for satisfaction with breast appearance (P < .001), psychosocial wellbeing (P < .001), and sexual well-being (P < .01) between pre- and postoperative surveys. Conversely, a significant decrease was seen in the physical well-being category (P < .001). Satisfaction with overall outcomes most strongly correlated to satisfaction with appearance of breasts (r = 0.8) and less strongly with psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being (r = 0.6). No correlation was found between satisfaction with overall outcomes and physical well-being (r = 0.0). Conclusions: As the implementation of evidence-based medicine continues to grow in everyday practice, there is increasing pressure to use validated survey instruments to demonstrate patient-reported outcomes. In this study, the authors have shown that breast augmentation significantly improves satisfaction with breast appearance, psychosocial well-being, and sexual well-being and that overall satisfaction is most strongly correlated with breast appearance satisfaction.