Dr Fiona Ryan BOSF Grant 2008

BOSF Grant

Primary investigator

Secondary investigators

Title

A study of factors affecting outcomes in orthognathic patients

Summary

Orthognathic outcomes are partly subjective and satisfaction rates are consistently high, with most studies reporting over 90% of patients being happy with the result. However, the reasons for dissatisfaction in the important minority are still not understood. This on-going study aims to look at a number of key areas in orthognathic treatment, in particular, the baseline psychological profile of orthognathic patients, the impact of dentofacial deformity, expectations of treatment and motivating factors, and patient involvement in treatment decision making. This 4 year research programme is in the final year and consists of several sub-studies.

In the first stage, the baseline psychological characteristics of orthognathic patients were studied. This involved generating a booklet of 7 established questionnaires and validated psychometric scales and distributing them to pre-treatment orthognathic patients at 2 research sites – Eastman Dental Hospital, UCLH Foundation Trust and the Croydon University Hospital.

The impacts, expectations, and motivating factors of orthognathic patients were also investigated using qualitative methodology. This involved conducting in-depth interviews with a cohort of patients and analysing the transcripts qualitatively using a type of content analysis (Critical Qualitative Theory including Framework Analysis).

Patient involvement in their treatment decisions has gained increasing attention recently and is becoming a compulsory part of healthcare practice. The next stage of the project involved recording consultations with orthognathic patients on the combined orthodontic/maxillofacial clinics and using a validated scale (OPTION scale) to rate the quality of shared decision making demonstrated.

A number of publications in peer reviewed journals have resulted from this research and several other publications are pending. I am extremely grateful to the BOSF for providing the funding to carry out this research and hope that the results of this longitudinal study will improve patient care in the future.

expectations paper

impact paper

BOSF F Ryan