title: A survey of oral and maxillofacial surgeons concerning their knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior relative to parameters of care.
abstract: In December 1990, a survey was sent to 1,296 randomly selected members of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) to determine their previous experience with standards and criteria of care, their type of practice, the educational methods that influence their professional decisions, and their attitudes about the development and use of parameters of care. A 55.7% response was obtained. This article reports the results of this survey. The average age of responding surgeons was 45 years and they had been in practice an average of 15 years. The majority were in private practice, had hospital staff privileges, worked between 31 and 55 hours per week, spent 90% of their working week in direct patient care, and devoted an average of 9.16 hours per month to professional affairs outside of their practice. Forty-two percent (42%) of the practitioners were in solo practice, whereas 50% practiced in groups. Surgeons concentrated 65% of their patient care time on dentoalveolar surgery and a significant number planned increases in practice activity in implant, orthognathic, and temporomandibular joint surgery. They learned new clinical skills in various ways, there being a difference between the most convenient and effective methods of learning. A majority of surgeons had been involved with quality assurance activities in the past 5 years. They were predominantly favorable to parameters now and when they first learned about them, but few thought they had a clear understanding about how parameters of care would be used.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Rosemont, IL 60018.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Helfrick
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D004498:Education, Dental, Continuing; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D056948:Orthognathic Surgical Procedures; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011364:Professional Practice; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000601:surgery