Medical Student Perception of Plastic Surgery and the Impact of Mainstream Media

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess the awareness levels about plastic surgery among medical students and to formulate appropriate teaching modules for undergraduate students to introduce and educate them about various plastic surgical procedures.Methods: A questionnaire-based study was done to assess awareness about procedures done under plastic surgery among medical students from second through final year. Collected data were statistically analyzed. The results were used to propose changes in teaching modules to medical students.Results: There is not much awareness about plastic surgery as a specialty amongst medical students. Plastic surgery is mostly perceived as cosmetic surgery, and the other procedures done under plastic surgery is not associated with the speciality by the medical students. Of all the clinical conditions given to the participants, there was not a single clinical condition where the respondents favoured undisputedly for plastic surgeons.Conclusions: Plastic surgery as a specialty is poorly understood by our undergraduate medical students so authors conclude there is lack of awareness, knowledge and disposition about plastic surgical procedures among them. Based on the report’s authors have formulated teaching and practical modules like enrichment courses, value added education, co-curricular activities and introduction to social media platforms related to plastic surgery for creating better awareness and knowledge among undergraduate medical students about plastic surgery.

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“…Television programs and news about celebrities undergoing cosmetic surgical procedures has increased awareness among general public. 5,6…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic and reconstructive surgery - do our undergraduate medical students have adequate awareness about it? Can we do something to improve their exposure, knowledge and interest in it?

et al. 2020

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“…9 In Canada, students reported that plastic surgeons mostly perform hair transplant surgery (89.9%), facial scar surgery (88.0%), and rhinoplasty (83.4%). 10 In the Nigerian population, 14 the most common procedures were liposuction (88.2%) and hair transplant surgery (84.4%); in contrast, liposuction was named by only 53% of our study participants. The differences noted in the procedures being performed by plastic surgeons may be due to the different levels of professional/medical exposures on plastic surgery to the different populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…9 Second, an improved understanding of plastic surgery would expedite the referral process for patients in need of the services of plastic surgery, reducing the psychological and financial costs to both patients and the health care system. [8][9][10] Increasing the exposure to accurate information from the professionals could therefore have significant impact for both the future of the field and the local residents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2020

Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU

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Introduction Inadequate professional and medical exposure and misconceptions about plastic surgery have not only been linked to students' poor knowledge and attitude toward it, but also bias against the selection of plastic surgery as a specialty. This assertion is yet to be tested and confirmed in our setting. This study therefore aimed to determine the knowledge and attitude of medical students toward plastic surgery. Methods One hundred and eight (108) students between their 3rd and 4th year of study were randomly recruited and handed structured questionnaires on knowledge and attitude toward plastic surgery. Data were then analyzed using SPSS and represented in percentages, medians, and means. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were done to assess for significant statistical differences based on gender grouping and year of study, respectively. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant at a 95% confidence interval. Results Majority of the students had some awareness about plastic surgery since, a majority (88%) identified plastic surgery with cosmetics and identified trauma as the main condition handled by plastic surgeons. Sixty-four percent (64%) acknowledged the risks associated with plastic surgery and 79.6% noted the presence of the procedures in Kenya. When assessing attitude, 62% reported that they did not want to pursue plastic surgery in the future, 75% would not consider plastic surgery done on them and 77% of the respondents felt embarrassed to undergo the surgery if their family knew while another 77% felt embarrassed if their friends knew. It is worth noting that 55% had their initial exposure to plastic surgery through information from the media sources. Mann-Whitney test done to assess for gender differences only revealed significant difference (p-value = 0.009) on assessing for the availability of plastic surgery procedures in Kenya. Kruskal-Wallis test did not reveal any significant differences based on year of study. Conclusion Data from our study suggest that students have some awareness about plastic surgery but have a poor attitude toward it.

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“…It has been commented that plastic surgery defies definition 73 and that its name is often misinterpreted. [74][75][76][77][78][79] This is certainly true when the philosophical content of this specialty is underestimated. In fact, from the metaphysical viewpoint, there is no better title for our vocation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…80 Despite the ongoing discussion on the affinity between the art and science of plastic surgery, 78,81,82 public predominantly see it from the beauty art perspective. [74][75][76][77][78][79]81 This feeling has unconsciously been encouraged by professionals since a long time when art was understood as the mastery of craft. The classical titles "Ars medica" and "Ars chirurgica" are towering examples.…”

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confidence: 99%

History of plastic surgery: Art, philosophy, and rhinoplasty

Macionis¹

2018

Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery

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The 200th anniversary of K. F. Graefe's "Rhinoplasty," E. Zeis' naming of the specialty of plastic surgery in 1838, and the continuing discussion on what is plastic surgery have prompted this historical-conceptual review with a semantic insight into the meaning of the word "plastic." A literature search has revealed that this term contains dual aspects: artistic and philosophical. The progressive development of these two connotations can be traced from their origin in the ceramics and the myths of ancient Greeks to their metamorphoses in fine arts, science, and philosophy of plasticity of the modern day. Although the names of plastic procedures and the title of the specialty carry both the artistic and philosophical features, the philosophical notion is less evident. This article underlines the importance of etymology in the interpretation of the concept of plastic surgery.

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Medical Student Perception of Plastic Surgery and the Impact of Mainstream Media

Abstract: Medical students have a skewed perception of the discipline of plastic surgery, and this is largely influenced by television. Interventions aimed at educating medical students on the matter are recommended, including a greater presence in the preclerkship medical school curriculum.

Cited by 41 publications

References 5 publications

Plastic and reconstructive surgery - do our undergraduate medical students have adequate awareness about it? Can we do something to improve their exposure, knowledge and interest in it?

Plastic and reconstructive surgery - do our undergraduate medical students have adequate awareness about it? Can we do something to improve their exposure, knowledge and interest in it?

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History of plastic surgery: Art, philosophy, and rhinoplasty

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