Dr. Suresh Koneru Adds Breast-Q© Questionnaire To His San Antonio Plastic Surgery Practice

Online, October 20, 2010 (Newswire.com) - In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Suresh Koneru of Advanced Concepts in Plastic Surgery is pleased to announce the addition of the BREAST-Q©, an innovative, comprehensive patient questionnaire that reliably measures patient perceptions of outcomes following surgical procedures for Breast Augmentation and Lifts, Breast Reduction and Breast Reconstruction.

Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) instruments are becoming more relevant to healthcare providers. By adding the BREAST-Q instrument to his practice in San Antonio, Dr. Koneru can measure what patients want and expect and what is important to them through a scientifically based, meticulously researched series of questions. PROs like Breast-Q help surgeons track the effects of surgery on their patients' lives and add much more depth and dimension to the development of surgical procedures than standard reviews and baseline before and after photos.

While many questionnaires have been developed for surgeries that involve breast implants and other breast reconstruction, none have been grounded in patient perceptions or been given the extensive clinical research than this cutting edge BREAST-Q instrument.

Formulated by the work of Dr. Andrea Pusic at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York, development of the BREAST-Q took more than three years. Research experts conducted extensive interviews with patients and in focus groups, and conducted field tests of more than 2,000 patients across the country, a process that spanned more than 18 months. The BREAST-Q has now been validated by the FDA and is in use internationally as well.

Dr. Koneru has embraced the BREAST-Q for its foundation in collaborative research, which fits well with his own clinical research studies.

"Understanding the patients' satisfaction and how breast surgery impacts our patients' quality of life gives us the ability to improve both surgical techniques and patient counseling and aftercare," said Dr. Koneru. "The BREAST-Q is one of the best tools available to take physical and psychological effects into account and treat our patients holistically before and after breast augmentation, reduction or reconstruction."

Dr. Koneru treats patients in San Antonio, Austin, San Marcos and other cities in Central and South Texas.

For more information on BREAST-Q, breast surgery or to schedule a consultation, please call 210-499-5900 or visit www.DrKoneru.com.