A182 The psychosocial and functional impact of an unruptured AVM diagnosis: a mixed-methods exploratory analysis

<h3>Introduction</h3> The psychosocial profile of patients diagnosed with an unruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) remains undetermined. We have provided a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the psychosocial effects following an AVM diagnosis with the aim to guide neurosurgical clinical practice to tailor patient needs. <h3>Aim of Study</h3> We aimed to explore the patient, disease and service-level factors that may influence the psychosocial and functional impact of an unruptured AVM diagnosis through a mixed-methods approach. <h3>Method</h3> Data was collected retrospectively regarding patient background from the centre’s electronic health record. Data included patients diagnosed with an unruptured AVM at our centre over a 24-month period from November 2021 to November 2023. This included age, sex, and previous psychiatric history. Included patients underwent a semi-structured telephone interview about their diagnosis process, clinical experiences and completed the SF-36 and HADS questionnaires to assess QoL. Statistical analysis was performed on SF-36. <h3>Results</h3> All sub-domains of the HADS and SF-36 questionnaires were found to be significantly worse as compared to UK normative data. Previous psychiatric history was found to be significantly associated with a worsened score in the HADS Anxiety sub-domain (p=0.024) as well energy (p=0.001), social function (p= 0.03) and general health (p=0.04) SF-36 subdomains. Thematic analysis revealed key themes of functional impact, psychological impact, diagnosis and explanation, access to information and follow-up care. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This study identifies a significant psychosocial and functional burden on those diagnosed with an unruptured AVM. Our analysis provide potential avenues in mitigating this effect and tailoring neurosurgical practice to improve patient care. <h3>Conflict of Interest</h3> No