Changes in Mood State after Day Case Forefoot Surgery

Limited published data exploring patients' emotional recovery after day case foot surgery are available. The aim of the present study was to explore the changes in patient mood from preoperatively to 8 weeks postoperatively after outpatient forefoot surgery. The patients completed the Profile of Mood States-Bipolar™ questionnaire, Speilberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a 10-cm visual analog scale to measure pain preoperatively and again at 1, 2, and 8 weeks postoperatively. Of the 6 mood subscales, 3 showed statistically significant improvements by 8 weeks postoperatively: composed–anxious (Student's t test, t = −5.319; df = 84; p = .05); confident–unsure (t = −2.074; df = 84; p = .02); and clearheaded–confused (t = −2.46; df = 84; p = .007). Furthermore, the decrease in anxiety and pain was statistically significant after foot surgery. These findings have contributed to the understanding of patients' psychological needs in relation to outpatient day case foot surgery, and foot and ankle surgeons' understanding of patients' mood and anxiety levels can contribute to improving patient care and enhancing patient–practitioner relationships, which, in turn, could improve patients' perceived outcomes of their surgery.