Consumer Awareness and Comfort with Resident-run Cosmetic Clinics: A Crowdsourcing Study

Abstract

Background: Resident cosmetic clinics (RCCs) are the training modality of choice among both residents and faculty and are a mainstay at most residency programs. 1 – 4 Despite this, knowledge of RCCs among plastic surgery consumers remains untested. We hypothesize that the public would be aware of and receptive to RCCs. Methods: Participants with prior cosmetic procedures or interest in future cosmetic procedures were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk and asked to complete a survey in September 2020. First, prior awareness of RCCs was assessed. After a brief description of RCCs, perceptions of safety and preferences for care were assessed. Results: After screening for quality, 815 responses were included. Forty-five percent of consumers were aware of RCCs. Seventy-six percent of consumers believed that RCCs were just as safe as attending clinics and 65% were comfortable receiving care from fourth-year residents or higher. Belief in RCC safety was associated with 4.8 times higher odds of feeling comfortable receiving care at an RCC [95% confidence interval (3.3–7.1), P < 0.001]. When given a hypothetical choice between residents and attendings in two scenarios, 46% of consumers chose residents for abdominoplasty and 60% chose residents for Botox injections. Belief in RCC safety was associated with choosing a resident or being indifferent in both scenarios. Conclusions: Consumer preference regarding RCCs has largely been untested. This study shows that belief in RCC safety influences consumers’ perceived comfort with receiving care at an RCC. This knowledge can help guide RCC practice and maximize learning opportunities for surgeons-in-training.

Patient Perspectives on Selecting an Academic Aesthetic Surgeon

“…23,24 Study participants recognized the benefits of RCCs, namely, the reduced cost with attending oversight and the opportunity to contribute to resident education. Along with the public perceiving RCCs as safe and being comfortable with receiving care from senior residents, 25 these findings support expanding RCCs to provide trainees with more graduated independence and exposure to aesthetic surgery. To effectively recruit patients, promotional materials should communicate how RCCs enhance resident education by offering aesthetic procedures at a discounted price while maintaining attending guidance during critical points of care.…”

Crowdsourcing in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery: A Systematic Review with Reporting Recommendations

“…Forty-five articles were ultimately included for data extraction (Table 1). 13–57 Proportionate rater agreement was 91.7% for abstract screening and 92.5% for full-text screening. The Cohen kappa coefficient for interrater reliability was 0.82 for abstract screening and 0.81 for full-text screening, demonstrating sufficient interrater reliability.…”