TY - JOUR
T1 - Wound care quality of life in aging patients undergoing electrodessication and curettage on the back
AU - Pretzlaff, Kara
AU - West, Lindsey
AU - Nemeh, Michael N.
AU - Srivastava, Divya
AU - Nijhawan, Rajiv I.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Patient satisfaction is an important consideration when determining the optimal treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). One critical aspect of patient satisfaction is post-procedural wound care quality of life (QOL), especially as the elderly population grows. This study aimed to evaluate post-procedural wound care QOL in elderly patients undergoing electrodessication and curettage (ED&C) for NMSC in difficult-to-reach areas, namely the posterior shoulder and back. To do so, patient demographics, functionality, co-morbidities, and post-procedural wound care QOL were assessed in twenty elderly patients (age > 65) who underwent ED&C for NMSC at a single academic dermatologic surgery clinic. Independent t-tests were used to evaluate how QOL related to patient age, gender, living situation, relationship status, co-morbidities, and functionality. Patients who lived alone had better-wound care QOL compared to patients who did not live alone (p = 0.04). Patients reported concerns about knocking the wound and did not feel they could care for the wound independently. Patients who were married, female, or had a lower comorbidity score reported poorer QOL, although this finding was not statistically significant. This study indicates that patients’ QOL can be negatively affected by post-procedural wounds located in difficult-to-reach areas. As dermatologists strive to improve patient satisfaction, wound care quality of life should be considered when choosing treatment for NMSC.
AB - Patient satisfaction is an important consideration when determining the optimal treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). One critical aspect of patient satisfaction is post-procedural wound care quality of life (QOL), especially as the elderly population grows. This study aimed to evaluate post-procedural wound care QOL in elderly patients undergoing electrodessication and curettage (ED&C) for NMSC in difficult-to-reach areas, namely the posterior shoulder and back. To do so, patient demographics, functionality, co-morbidities, and post-procedural wound care QOL were assessed in twenty elderly patients (age > 65) who underwent ED&C for NMSC at a single academic dermatologic surgery clinic. Independent t-tests were used to evaluate how QOL related to patient age, gender, living situation, relationship status, co-morbidities, and functionality. Patients who lived alone had better-wound care QOL compared to patients who did not live alone (p = 0.04). Patients reported concerns about knocking the wound and did not feel they could care for the wound independently. Patients who were married, female, or had a lower comorbidity score reported poorer QOL, although this finding was not statistically significant. This study indicates that patients’ QOL can be negatively affected by post-procedural wounds located in difficult-to-reach areas. As dermatologists strive to improve patient satisfaction, wound care quality of life should be considered when choosing treatment for NMSC.
KW - Elderly
KW - Quality of life
KW - Skin cancer
KW - Wound care
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107112158&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s00403-021-02248-5
DO - 10.1007/s00403-021-02248-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 34089376
AN - SCOPUS:85107112158
SN - 0340-3696
JO - Archives of Dermatological Research
JF - Archives of Dermatological Research
ER -