A new study published in the journal Cureus has validated the Arabic version of the Facial Assessment and Cosmetic Enhancement Quality of Life (FACE-Q) questionnaire, a tool that measures the outcomes and satisfaction of patients who undergo facial cosmetic procedures.
The FACE-Q questionnaire is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) that was developed by Dr. Anne Klassen and colleagues in 2010. It consists of 63 scales that cover various aspects of facial appearance, function, and well-being, such as wrinkles, facial asymmetry, skin quality, facial paralysis, social function, and psychological distress.
The FACE-Q questionnaire is designed to capture the patient’s perspective on the benefits and risks of facial cosmetic procedures, such as rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, facelift, and fillers. It can also be used to evaluate the quality of care and service provided by the cosmetic surgeon and the clinic.
The FACE-Q questionnaire has been translated and validated into several languages, such as English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Turkish. However, until now, there was no Arabic version of the questionnaire available for the millions of Arabic-speaking patients who seek facial cosmetic procedures.
How was the Arabic version of the FACE-Q questionnaire validated?
The study was conducted by Dr. Ahmed Al-Qahtani and colleagues from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They recruited 100 patients who underwent facial cosmetic procedures at their clinic between January and June 2023. The patients completed the Arabic version of the FACE-Q questionnaire before and after their procedures, as well as a generic health-related quality of life questionnaire called the Short Form-12 (SF-12).
The researchers analyzed the data using various statistical methods to assess the reliability, validity, responsiveness, and interpretability of the Arabic version of the FACE-Q questionnaire. They found that the questionnaire had high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity, meaning that it measured what it was supposed to measure in a consistent and accurate way. They also found that the questionnaire was sensitive to changes in the patient’s outcomes and satisfaction after the procedures, and that it had clear and meaningful scoring guidelines.
What are the implications of the study?
The study is the first to validate the Arabic version of the FACE-Q questionnaire for facial cosmetic patients. It provides a valuable tool for the Arabic-speaking cosmetic surgeons and patients to evaluate the outcomes and satisfaction of facial cosmetic procedures in a culturally appropriate and linguistically accurate way.
The study also contributes to the growing body of literature on the use of PROMs in cosmetic surgery, which can help improve the quality and safety of care, as well as the patient’s experience and satisfaction. The study authors recommend that the Arabic version of the FACE-Q questionnaire be used in clinical practice and research, as well as in cross-cultural comparisons with other versions of the questionnaire.
