Relationship of Duration of Wait for Surgery and Postoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes for Hallux Valgus Surgery:

Background:Little is known about the effect of delayed access to bunion correction (hallux valgus) surgery on patient-reported outcomes. The objective of this study was to measure the association between preoperative wait time for bunion correction surgery and postoperative patient-reported outcomes.Methods:This study prospectively recruited patients to complete preoperative patient-reported outcomes measuring depression, pain, and foot and ankle health, including the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9); the pain intensity (P), interference with enjoyment (E) of life and general (G) instrument (ie, PEG); and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), a condition-specific instrument. Patients complete the same patient-reported outcomes 6 months postoperatively. Regression models measured patient-reported outcomes as a function of wait time, adjusting for baseline health, age category, sex, comorbidities, and socioeconomic status. This study included 87 participants, a response rate of 53% among eligible p...