Applicability of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Aesthetic Medicine Patient Archetypes

Abstract

BACKGROUND Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valuable in understanding patient motivations, setting expectations, and ensuring satisfaction. As the aesthetic industry expands globally, factors that motivate the treatment goals of the aesthetic patient reflect evolving social, cultural, and commercial influences. OBJECTIVE This article will assess the applicability of current PROMs used in aesthetic medicine to an increasingly diverse patient population and consider their ability to measure the underlying motives that drive different types of patients to pursue their specific goals. METHODS PubMed database was searched for studies using PROMs to evaluate the motivations and expectations of aesthetic patients. RESULTS Seven validated aesthetic PROM tools were reviewed against a backdrop of different patient segments as represented by the 4 patient archetypes: Positive Aging, Beautification, Correction, and Transformation. None of the tools could universally represent the individual motivations and expectations of all 4 patient archetypes. CONCLUSION There is a need for updated PROMs in aesthetics that are applicable to patients with different motivations or expected outcomes than the traditional rejuvenation patient. PROMs that help decode patient motivations and that are developed with more diverse patient involvement will help aesthetic clinicians better understand the goals and expectations of new patient segments.