BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess the public's understanding of the scope of the practice of plastic surgeons, to determine if there is a need to increase awareness of the nature of a plastic surgeon's work. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was performed. Participants were systematically selected from the White Pages for a telephone survey. The participants' demographics were recorded. Participants were excluded if they or anyone they knew had prior interactions with a plastic surgeon. Participants selected the most common area of specialization of plastic surgeons. The final set of questions determined their choice of surgeon in three different scenarios: breast reduction, excision of skin cancer from the facial region and hand trauma. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirteen of the 257 participants were eligible to complete the survey. Sixty-five per cent were female, with 38% between the ages of 46 and 65 years. The dominant field of practice was reconstructive surgery (36%). Just 19% of participants would consult plastic surgeons across the three clinical scenarios. Dermatologists (47%) were chosen over plastic surgeons (24%) to excise skin cancers from the face. Breast surgeons (53%) were chosen over plastic surgeons (23%) to perform breast reduction surgery. In hand trauma, 58% of participants would consult a hand surgeon and merely 10% would consult with plastic surgeons. DISCUSSION: The general public's understanding of plastic surgery is poor. This may be linked to the misunderstanding of specialist titles and lack of education regarding this field.
BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess the public's understanding of the scope of the practice of plastic surgeons, to determine if there is a need to increase awareness of the nature of a plastic surgeon's work. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was performed. Participants were systematically selected from the White Pages for a telephone survey. The participants' demographics were recorded. Participants were excluded if they or anyone they knew had prior interactions with a plastic surgeon. Participants selected the most common area of specialization of plastic surgeons. The final set of questions determined their choice of surgeon in three different scenarios: breast reduction, excision of skin cancer from the facial region and hand trauma. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirteen of the 257 participants were eligible to complete the survey. Sixty-five per cent were female, with 38% between the ages of 46 and 65 years. The dominant field of practice was reconstructive surgery (36%). Just 19% of participants would consult plastic surgeons across the three clinical scenarios. Dermatologists (47%) were chosen over plastic surgeons (24%) to excise skin cancers from the face. Breast surgeons (53%) were chosen over plastic surgeons (23%) to perform breast reduction surgery. In hand trauma, 58% of participants would consult a hand surgeon and merely 10% would consult with plastic surgeons. DISCUSSION: The general public's understanding of plastic surgery is poor. This may be linked to the misunderstanding of specialist titles and lack of education regarding this field.
Authors: Abdulmajeed A Alharbi; Faris S Al-Thunayyan; Khalid A Alsuhaibani; Khalid A Alharbi; Mana A Alharbi; Amr Y Arkoubi Journal: J Family Med Prim Care Date: 2019-01
Authors: Mohamed Amir Mrad; Abdullah A Al Qurashi; Hatan Mortada; Qutaiba N M Shah Mardan; Noorah Abuthiyab; Nura Al Zaid; Hadeer Al Bakri; Abdullah Mullah Journal: Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open Date: 2022-02-28