An outcome-based study of aesthetic surgery in a clinic setting.

Abstract

Previous studies have addressed the difficulties in training residents in aesthetic surgery. The purpose of this study is to analyze patient satisfaction with cosmetic surgery at an inner city teaching hospital as well as to evaluate referral patterns. The patients included in this study underwent aesthetic surgical procedures through the Kings County Hospital Plastic Surgery Clinic (KCHC) from January 1, 1997, to June 30, 1998. Patients were informed that the procedure would be performed by a plastic surgery resident with attending supervision. Data were obtained in a retrospective fashion using telephone surveys. Fifty-five patients participated in the study, which accounted for 68 aesthetic procedures. Sixty percent of patients considered the results of surgery as excellent or good. On a patient satisfaction scale from 0 (unhappy) to 10 (exceedingly happy), patients' self-reporting average was 6.59. This mean value may not be completely indicative of patient satisfaction. Eighty-nine percent of patients would refer a friend and 78% of patients would have the same procedure performed again. Sixty-nine percent of the patients had been referred by past KCHC patients. All of these numbers tend to convey a higher degree of patient satisfaction. The results of the study appear to convey the importance of developing residents' ability to accurately explain to patients the anticipated results of aesthetic surgery.