Investigating Board Certification: Do Our Patients Know How to Do Their Homework?

Introduction

The number of physicians performing aesthetic surgery outside their scope of training continues to increase. In 2011, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) launched the “Do Your Homework” campaign, advising patients to research their physician’s qualifications before undergoing cosmetic surgery. We investigated patients’ understanding of board certification and their ability to appropriately determine the training credentials of their surgeon.

Methods

A questionnaire was administered to medical students and potential patients identified through social media outreach. They were asked to identify what type of physician should perform their cosmetic operations and to which professional societies they should belong. They were also asked to suggest the resources they would use to investigate the training credentials of their surgeon.

Results

One hundred medical students and 113 people designated as the general population (ranging from 19 to 83 years old) responded to the questionnaire. When asked which societies a physician performing liposuction should belong to, “ASPS” was the most common answer (74% of medical students, 60.2% of general population), followed by the “American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery” (57% of medical students, 54.8% of general population), and the “American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery” (ASAPS) (48% of medical students, 31% of general population). A “facial plastic surgeon” was the most common answer when participants were questioned about who qualifies as a surgeon performing a facelift. When asked which physician is qualified to perform liposuction, a majority answered a plastic surgeon (90.7% of medical students, 91% of the general population), followed by a dermatologic surgeon (31% of medical students, 23.2% of the general population).

When researching the training credentials of a cosmetic/aesthetic surgeon, a majority would ask the physician’s office or the physician’s website (75% of medical students, 73.2% of general population). Of those who would turn to the internet, only 8% would use the websites of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, state medical board, ASPS, ASAPS, or American Board of Medical Specialties.

Conclusion

Although potential patients now understand board certification to be a crucial standard for their plastic surgeon, a majority do not know how to find this information. The “Do Your Homework” campaign is an excellent start towards patient education and promoting patient safety, but there still remains much work to be done.