Shared medical appointments for the preoperative consultation visit of Mohs micrographic surgery

BackgroundShared medical appointments (SMAs) allow patients with similar diagnoses to be simultaneously educated and cared for by 1 provider. SMAs appear well suited for Mohs micrographic surgery because all patients receive similar information about skin cancer pathophysiology, prognosis, prevention, treatment, reconstructive options, and wound care.ObjectiveWe sought to create a SMA for the preoperative consultation visit of Mohs micrographic surgery and to evaluate patient satisfaction with this model.MethodsA pilot SMA was implemented. Patient satisfaction was assessed via a 13-question survey over a 6-month period.ResultsIn all, 149 patients were seen in our SMAs. The survey response rate was 65.8%. Respondents answered Likert scale questions with a mean value of 4.29 ± 0.09 (on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the best). Patients found the SMA model useful (84.7%) and would attend another SMA in the future (80.6%).LimitationsLimitations include the sample size of the study, relatively homogenous patient population, possible response bias, and a potential selection bias (as all participants in the SMA chose this type of appointment rather than a conventional one).ConclusionsSMA can be successfully used for the Mohs preoperative consultation visit with high patient satisfaction.