OC-081 DIASTASIS RECTI REPAIR – DEVELOPMENT OF A PATIENT REPORTED OUTCOME MEASURE THROUGH QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Abstract Aim Diastasis recti may lead to undesirable symptoms including aesthetic dissatisfaction and decreased quality of life (QoL). Currently, there is no validated disease-specific patient reported outcomes (PRO) measure to assess patient satisfaction and facilitate personalized care after repair. Our study aimed to develop a diastasis-specific PRO-measure through qualitative assessment within this population. Methods Diastasis recti repair patients were enrolled and semi-structured cognitive interviews using the think-aloud technique were conducted by a trained qualitative research member of the Mixed Methods Research Laboratory. Patients answered a 23-item questionnaire, derived from BODY-Q and AHQ, addressing four components–Physical, Appearance, Surgical Team, and Satisfaction with Abdomen. Results Thirteen patients who underwent diastasis repair completed the interviews, which were conducted an average of 353 days after surgery. All participants reported the questions in the survey were easy to interpret and assessed different constructs. Most questions in the study were relevant and easily interpreted, however, a few participants reported some items were unclear, specifically related to discerning between size and shape of their abdomen. When asked about aspects of their experience not addressed by the survey, patients mentioned sensory changes around the incision, and accordingly a question was added to the instrument. Conclusion As a first step toward creation of a diastasis recti PRO-measure, we present the results of qualitative patient assessment. Patients found the instrument clear and relevant to their experience. A void remains to optimize PROs after diastasis repair; therefore, our PRO-measure will provide surgeons a qualitative tool for quantitative assessment of their QoL.