[Single-centre study on the benefits of pre-vaginoplasty therapeutic education].

OBJECTIVES

Therapeutic education has been investigated in various surgical contexts to assess its impact on outcomes and hospital stay duration. This retrospective observational study evaluates the benefits of therapeutic education in vaginoplasty, focusing on hospital stay duration, follow-up rate, and vaginal stenosis incidence.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This study included all patients who underwent vaginoplasty between October 2018 and April 2021. A therapeutic education program, conducted by a specialized nurse, was introduced in June 2020, providing a control group (pre-June 2020) and a therapeutic education (TE) group (post-June 2020). Data were retrospectively analyzed, with the primary outcome being the length of hospital stay post-surgery.

RESULTS

A total of 153 patients were included, with 121 in the control group and 32 in the TE group. The TE group experienced a significantly reduced hospital stay (5.56 days) compared to the control group (9.98 days), P<0.001. Although no significant increase in follow-up rates was observed, a decrease in loss to follow-up was noted in the TE group. No significant reduction in the vaginal stenosis rate was found.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative therapeutic education for vaginoplasty appears to reduce hospital stay and reduce the loss to follow-up rate. To our knowledge, this is the first and largest study on this topic.