Cosmetic Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction After Facial Laceration Repair in the Emergency Department

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Facial lacerations are commonly treated in the emergency department. The nature of the injury leads to a great deal of concern about the long-term cosmetic appearance of the wounds. Research Questions What is the association between wound characteristics, wound management in the ED, patient satisfaction in the ED, and patient-rated cosmetic appearance of sutured wounds? Is there a difference noted among ED providers with different levels of training? Is there an association between initial satisfaction scores and wound outcome? Is there an association between short term and long term wound scores? Design This is a non-randomized, prospective, observational study of patients who present to the ED seeking treatment for facial laceration repair.

Conditions
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Facial Lacerations

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Families presenting to the ED for repair of facial laceration will be approached for study inclusion if: Their child seeking treatment is less than 18 years of age The laceration was sustained less than 12 hours prior to presentation to Children's ED They speak English Exclusion Criteria: Families presenting to the ED for repair of facial laceration will be excluded from study participation if they: Are medically complex children Have a history of pre-existing coagulopathy or collagen vascular disease Have a history of immunodeficiency or diabetes mellitus Are suspected of non-accidental trauma Have wounds that could be approximated by tissue adhesives Have animal or human bites Have gross contamination Have puncture wounds Have lacerations of tendon/nerve/cartilage Have scalp lacerations Do not speak English

Ages Eligible for Study
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Maximum Age: 17 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| PEM group<br>Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by PEM trained physicians. | |
| GP group<br>Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by general pediatricians. | |
| PNP group<br>Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by PNPs. | |
| RN group<br>Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by suture RNs. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cosmetic outcome | Cosmetic Visual Analog Score and the Wound Evaluation Score | 6 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Satisfaction score | Visual analog scale; left end labeled Dissatisified and right end labeled Very satisfied | 6 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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laceration, emergency, cosmetic outcomes, patient satisfaction, suture