Investigating Plastic Surgery Board Certification: Do our Patients know how to do their Homework? Pages 17-22

Rachel Ford, Wendy Wong, Tyler Frew, Yi Lin, Insiyah Campwala and Subhas Gupta

Loma Linda University, The Department of Plastic Surgery, 11175 Campus Street, Suite 21126, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12970/2311-9888.2017.05.03

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Abstract: Background: In 2011, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) launched the “Do Your Homework” campaign, advising patients to research their surgeon’s qualifications. We investigated patients’ understanding of board certification and their ability to research the training credentials of their surgeon.
Materials and Methods: An electronic questionnaire was sent to medical students via email solicitation. The general population participants responded to a survey link posted on social media. Participants were asked to identify: what type of physician should perform their cosmetic operations, which professional societies they should belong, and the resources they would use to investigate their surgeon’s training credentials.
Results: Three hundred ninety medical students and 171 general population participants responded. A “facial plastic surgeon” was the most common answer regarding who qualifies as a surgeon performing a facelift.
When asked which physician is qualified to perform liposuction, a majority answered a plastic surgeon (91% of medical students, 88% of the general population), followed by a dermatologic surgeon.
When researching the training credentials of an aesthetic surgeon, a majority would ask the physician’s office or use the physician’s website. Only 3% of the medical student group and 6% of the general population group stated they would use the websites of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, state medical board, ASPS, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), or American Board of Medical Specialties.
Conclusion: Although potential patients find board certification to be a crucial standard for their plastic surgeon, a majority do not know how to research this information.

Keywords: Board certification, surgeon qualification, patient safety, patient literacy.
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