Preoperative Treatment Expectations and Their Association with Postoperative Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction in Non-Orthopedic Surgery: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND

Patients' preoperative expectations may influence postoperative quality of life and satisfaction.

AIM: To provide an overview of the evidence regarding the association between patients' preoperative expectations and postoperative quality of life as the primary outcome, with postoperative satisfaction included as a secondary outcome.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted across five databases for all study types.

RESULTS

Ten cohort studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 1013 patients undergoing various surgical procedures. Most studies exhibited a high risk of bias, and several employed unvalidated instruments to assess preoperative expectations. Only one study found a significant association between preoperative expectations and quality of life. One study reported significantly better perceived health among patients with high preoperative expectations, and four studies identified a significant relationship between preoperative expectations and post-operative satisfaction. Overall, the findings were inconsistent, and the included studies demonstrated substantial methodological heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

Only individual studies identified significant associations with quality of life, perceived health, or postoperative satisfaction; overall, the findings were inconsistent. The evidence is limited by high risk of bias, heterogeneous methodologies, and use of non-validated measurement tools. Further research is needed to clarify the role preoperative expectations have in postoperative outcomes.