Evaluation of an Academic Resident Aesthetic Clinic from the Perspectives of Patients and Residents

Introduction: A key component of plastic surgery residency is to provide trainees with training in aesthetic surgery.  The training program must often achieve a balance between allowing for independent formulation of planning and execution of cosmetic procedures while conforming to patient’s perceptions and institutional and specialty standards.  The goal of this study is to delineate a plastic surgery aesthetic clinic already in place and evaluate complication rates and patient satisfaction.

Methods: Patient satisfaction at the UCSD Plastic Surgery residency was evaluated by a survey that focused on how well the resident approached the patient, satisfaction with resident handling of preoperative visit, and satisfaction with overall medical care.  Furthermore a database at UCSD detailing procedural complications was compiled and evaluated.  Finally, a two page survey delineating resident preparedness in aesthetic surgery was sent to past graduates of the UCSD plastic surgery program.

Results: Between June 2012 and June 2014 79 aesthetic resident cases were done at the UCSD resident clinic.  Of these, 16 (20%) were body contouring procedures, 14 (18%) were breast procedures, 9 (11%) were rhytidectomies, and 4 (5%) were eyelid procedures.  The complication rate requiring trip to the operating room was 5% (N=4).  Patients who were surveyed were overall happy with their experiences.  Residents surveyed noted that they felt very comfortable with cosmetic procedures and felt that they had a good autonomous experience.

Conclusions: The information collected revealed that the UCSD resident aesthetic enabled residents to gain a structured and autonomous exposure to cosmetic surgical cases.  This was done with a reasonable complication rate and with excellent patient satisfaction