Health-related quality of life following podiatric surgery

This 6-month prospective study investigated the outcomes of foot surgery pe rformed by Fellows of the Australian College of Podiatric Surgeons. The stu dy recruited 140 patients who were treated for orthopedic, neurological, or integumentary diseases of the foot. The majority of subjects who underwent podiatric surgery experienced significant postoperative improvements in a range of health-related quality-of-life dimensions as measured by the disea se-specific Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ) and the generic Short F orm 36 (SF-36) questionnaire. Subjects reported a reduction in foot pain, i ncreased levels of physical function, improved general foot health percepti on, and improved footwear-related quality of life. No significant adverse o utcomes or unplanned re-admissions to the hospital were reported. This stud y demonstrates the advantage of assessing health-related quality of life as opposed to patient satisfaction.