title: Patient attitudes toward resident participation in cosmetic vs reconstructive outpatient consultations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of residency programs is to provide trainees with exposure to all aspects of their chosen field so that they exit the program ready to be independent practitioners. However, it is common in some plastic surgery residency training programs to exclude residents from participation in consultations with patients who are seeking cosmetic surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cosmetic surgery patients had a different view about resident involvement than reconstructive surgery patients and to evaluate what factors might be linked to patient attitudes on this topic.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  All new patients older than 18 years presenting to either academic or nonacademic locations were asked to complete the voluntary survey at their initial consultation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at both the Ohio State University (academic) and Advanced Aesthetic and Laser Surgery (private practice) in Columbus, Ohio.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey asked patients to identify their surgical concern as either cosmetic or reconstructive and to indicate the location on their body where they were having surgery. Additionally, a series of statements regarding resident involvement was presented with a 5-point Likert-type rating system to assess each patient's attitudes about a range of factors, such as resident sex and seniority.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 119 patients participated in the study by completing the survey. Of this population, 59.7% (n = 71) were classified as reconstructive surgery patients and 40.3% (n = 48) were classified as cosmetic surgery patients. Based on responses, it was determined that reconstructive surgery patients were more approving of resident involvement in their care than cosmetic surgery patients were. When other factors were analyzed, the patients seeking breast surgery were found to be more apprehensive about resident participation than non-breast surgery patients were.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there were some differences in the way resident participation was perceived by cosmetic and reconstructive surgery patient populations, neither group strongly believed that resident participation decreased the quality of patient care. Based on these findings, plastic surgery training programs should begin to allow residents to become more involved in the care of cosmetic surgery patients.
authors.affiliation: The University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, Ohio.
authors.forename: Katherine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Carruthers
authors.affiliation: Advanced Aesthetic and Laser Surgery, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: McMahan
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Midwest Breast and Aesthetic Surgery, Dublin, Ohio.
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Midwest Breast and Aesthetic Surgery, Dublin, Ohio. Electronic address: DrK@mwbreast.com.
authors.forename: Ergun
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kocak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000193:education*; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Medical Knowledge; Patient Care; Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; breast; cosmetic; reconstructive; resident