BACKGROUND Face transplantation is a surgical innovation to manage people with severely interrupted facial function and form. How the public perceive face transplantation and its potential implications for the recipient, donor, and society is unclear. The aim of this study was to understand the public perception of face transplantation, including when it is appropriate, what information is required to feel adequately informed, and which factors influence a person's willingness to donate their face. METHODS This was a nationwide survey of participants representative of the GB public. A quantitative analysis was performed. Free-text qualitative responses were coded with thematic content analysis and a narrative analysis was constructed. RESULTS The survey included 2122 participants. Face transplantation was considered worth the potential risks if it improved an individual's quality of life, gave them a 'normal life', and/or increased their confidence and social interaction. Respondents were worried about the impact face transplantation might have on donor families, especially recipient families adapting to the identity of the donor. Respondents most concerned about the concept of face transplantation were aged at least 55 years (χ2(4) = 38.9, P < 0.001), women (χ2(1) = 19.8, P < 0.001), and Indian/Asian (χ2(4) = 11.9, P = 0.016). CONCLUSION The public perceive emotional and psychological outcomes as equally as important as, or more important than, surgical outcomes when determining the appropriateness of face transplantation. Future research should focus on measuring and describing emotional and psychological outcomes after face transplantation.

中文翻译：

---

情绪和生活质量结果在公众对面部移植的感知中至关重要。

背景技术面部移植是一种外科创新，用于治疗面部功能和形态严重中断的人。公众如何看待面部移植及其对接受者，捐赠者和社会的潜在影响尚不清楚。这项研究的目的是了解公众对面部移植的看法，包括何时适当，需要什么信息才能充分了解情况以及哪些因素影响一个人捐赠面部的意愿。方法这是对GB公众代表的全国性调查。进行了定量分析。使用主题内容分析对自由文本的定性反应进行编码，并构建叙事分析。结果这项调查包括2122名参与者。如果面部移植能够改善个人的生活质量，赋予他们“正常的生活”和/或增加他们的自信心和社交互动，则被认为具有潜在的风险。受访者担心面部移植可能会对捐赠者家庭产生影响，尤其是适应捐赠者身份的接受者家庭。最关心面部移植概念的受访者年龄至少55岁（χ2（4）= 38.9，P <0.001），女性（χ2（1）= 19.8，P <0.001）和印度/亚洲裔（χ2（4 ）= 11.9，P = 0.016）。结论在确定面部移植的适当性时，公众认为情感和心理效果与手术效果同等重要，甚至比手术效果更重要。