AB093. SOH24AB_014. The attitudes of patients towards orthopaedic post-surgical scars

Background: Post-surgical scars (PSS) are an expected consequence of surgery. Several factors are believed to affect patient attitudes towards PSS including younger patient age and shorter time post-operative. Little data are available regarding patient attitudes towards orthopaedic PSS. We aim to determine the attitudes of patients towards their orthopaedic PSS and identify factors associated. Methods: All patients between 2- and 18-weeks post-operative attending orthopaedic fracture clinics in Cork University Hospital between February and August 2022 were included. Patients completed a questionnaire at their post-operative outpatient visit and at six months post-operative. The Patient Scar Assessment Scale (PSAS) was used to assess PSS satisfaction. The European Quality of Life 5 Domain, alongside several Likert scales were used to quantify patient quality of life (QoL). Numerous factors were analysed to determine association with scar satisfaction. Results: In total, 91 patients were included. The mean PSAS score was 28.41 [95% confidence interval (CI): 25.85–30.97], indicating patients viewed their PSS in a favourable manner. Factors associated with decreased PSS satisfaction included younger patient age (P=0.045) and decreased time passed post-operatively (P=0.002). Patients reporting their PSS appearing worse than expected were more likely to agree that their QoL had been adversely affected by it (P=0.001). Conclusions: A minority of patients are dissatisfied with their orthopaedic PSS. This study identifies several factors associated with poor PSS satisfaction consistent with established surgical literature. Our finding associating pre-operative patient scar expectations and post-operative QoL is novel. Accordingly, peri-operative scar expectation management may be implemented to mitigate scar-related QoL impact and enhance post-operative recovery.