Abstract:

Aim: The factors affecting surgical success and patient satisfaction in septorhinoplasty (SRP) can be divided into two parts as patient factors and surgeon factors. Optimism is one of the basic concepts of positive psychology. Optimism is defined as the tendency to focus on the positive aspects of situations and events and to believe that positive situations will occur. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of patients’ optimism levels on patient satisfaction after SRP and whether preoperative evaluation of patients’ optimism levels would be a useful tool for patient selection in SRP. Methods: The study was conducted with 72 patients who underwent SRP. The optimism levels of the patients were evaluated with the Life Orientation Test (LOT) and the satisfaction levels of the patients about the operation were evaluated with the Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation Questionnaire (ROE). Results: The mean score of preoperative ROE was 35.7 ± 3.6 and the mean score of postoperative ROE was 81.4 ± 3.9. There was a statistically significant difference between the preoperative and postoperative scores (p <0.001). There was statistically significant positive correlation between the patients’ optimism (LOT) and postoperative ROE scores (r: 0.646, p<0.001). Patients with high levels of optimism had higher satisfaction levels after surgery. Conclusion: In this study, it was found that as the level of optimism increased, post-operative patient satisfaction also increased. It may be beneficial to evaluate the optimism levels of the patients and to use LOT in order to help patient selection in SRP and to prevent possible patient-based and medicolegal problems.

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