An essential Infinitebook for plastic and reconstructive surgery preoperative planning

Abstract

Introduction: This decade has seen a 132% increase in plastic and reconstructive surgeries. Despite surgeons' efforts, patient satisfaction faces challenges from unrealistic expectations. Addressing this issue and recognizing the gap in literature, this study introduces an alternative approach for preoperative planning: the Infinitebook designed for patients and aiming to enhance patients' comprehension, manage expectations, and increase satisfaction. It can be included in a preoperative kit tailored for surgeons. Methods: The surgeon´s kit encompasses an Infinitebook depicting common plastic and reconstructive surgeries, an optimized ruler for abdominoplasty, a breast reduction/mastopexy aid, flexible rulers for preoperative markings, blepharoplasty marking tweezers and practical surgical skin marking pens. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the overall impact of the Infinitebook on patients understanding level about the procedure and satisfaction with the preoperative consultation. Participants were chosen based on inclusion/exclusion criteria and a questionnaire gathered patient data and information on understanding and satisfaction levels using the Infinitebook assisted-explanation approach. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM ® SPSS Statistics. Results: Twenty-three patients were recruited and categorized by age, sex, education, and employment status. Participants evaluated aspects of preoperative consultations. The Infinitebook received positive feedback, with 70% of participants understanding surgical techniques, 91.3% being aware of incision details, and with all participants (100%) recommending it. Conclusion: This paper introduces a novel resource, adaptable for future refinement and optimization, designed to enhance preoperative preparation, patient comprehension, and satisfaction in plastic and reconstructive surgery. While promising, further research is warranted to explore a broader population and compare different approaches in maintaining person-centered healthcare while leveraging the benefits of new technologies.