title: Maintenance of Certification, maintenance of public trust.
abstract: The Maintenance of Certification program has been well received by many physicians but has faced significant opposition from others who complain that it is overly tedious, costly, and irrelevant to their practice. This article offers a consolidated and concise history of the program and a summary of what plastic surgeons need to know to successfully complete the American Board of Plastic Surgery's own Maintenance of Certification requirements. The authors have justified each step of the board's Maintenance of Certification process in terms of how it improves the quality of care delivered to plastic surgery patients. Finally, a summary of research is presented that demonstrates both that the public supports the maintenance of certification process for all physicians and that continuing education and formal assessment and improvement initiatives have been linked in multiple studies to a better and more evidence-based medical practice.
authors.affiliation: Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada From the Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Michigan Health System; and Plastic Surgery, Dalhousie University.
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Clapham
authors.forename: Donald H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lalonde
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D015969:National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, U.S., Health and Medicine Division; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States