Latest data on patient reported outcome measures has shown some improvement in the proportion of patients who felt their condition had improved following surgery.
Patients were surveyed before undergoing surgery for one of four common procedures and again in the subsequent months.
Under the PROMs system, they are asked three sets of questions, one of which is specific to the procedure they have had, and two relating to more general measures.
The latest monthly figures show that between April and November 2011, 96.7 per cent of patients who were asked a series of specific questions about their recent hip replacement reported their condition had improved. This compared to 95.7 per cent in 2010-11.
On a similar condition specific measure, 92.8 per cent of knee replacement patients reported feeling better, compared to 91.4 per cent the previous year. When it came to varicose vein surgery, 83.9 per cent of patients felt better, compared to 83.3 per cent previously.
However, when asked to rate their health more generally both before and after the procedure, on average only 70 per cent of patients reported they felt better.
This ranged from 48.3 per cent for varicose veins to 89 per cent for hip replacements.
Only just over half of patients who had operations to remove groin hernias, for which there is no condition specific measure, reported improved health.
PROMs figures were first collected in 2010-11.
No comments yet