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The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery Sep 2022Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had far reaching impacts on all aspects of the healthcare system, including plastic surgery training. Due to reduction...
PURPOSE
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had far reaching impacts on all aspects of the healthcare system, including plastic surgery training. Due to reduction in the number of elective surgery cases and need for social distancing, plastic surgery education has shifted from the operating room to the virtual learning environment. Although these changes have been qualitatively described, the authors present a quantitative analysis of plastic surgery training changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study has identified residents' greatest impediments and inquired about suggestions for further improvements. Our goal is to help residency programs through the COVID-19 pandemic era and contribute to future guidelines when residency education encounters additional unexpected changes.
METHODS
An institutional review board approved anonymous survey using Qualtrics was forwarded on April 23, 2020 to US plastic surgery program directors to be distributed to plastic surgery residents and fellows. Questions centered on the impact of COVID-19 on residents' well-being, education and career plans results were collected for data analysis. Residents were given the option to be in a raffle to win a $50 amazon gift card. Completion of the survey was both anonymous and voluntary.
RESULTS
A total of 69 trainees responded (52 integrated residents and 17 independent fellows) from 18 states. Fifty-one percent were male and 49% were female. Fifty-six percent of trainees plan to complete a fellowship program after graduation, 31% will join private practice. Nine percent of trainees reported changes in their postgraduation plans due to the pandemic, 67% were senior trainees. Of those whose goals were affected by COVID-19 pandemic, 56% opted to pursue additional fellowship training. They described reduced operative exposure and cancelations of elective surgeries (50%), the limited availability of private practice jobs (37.5%), and financial reasons (12.5%) for their decision. Twelve percent reported being concerned about not meeting the necessary requirements to finish their residency and graduate on time. Seventy-six percent of trainees expressed concerns about the health and safety of themselves, family and loved ones. Forty-nine percent of trainees reported increased levels of stress since the onset of the pandemic. Ninety-seven percent of trainees reported having reduction in their operative time during the COVID-19 pandemic. They utilized their nonoperative time for online education modules (84%), educational readings (82%), and research (80%). Plastic surgery trainees learned about national webinars through emails from professional society (83%), co-resident/fellow (77%), program director emails (74%), and social media (22%). Webinars attended were mostly through virtual platform modalities, among which Zoom and Webex were the most preferred. Less interactions with colleagues and faculty was the biggest barrier to adopting virtual conferences. Despite this, 72% agreed that having grand rounds, didactics and journal clubs online increased attendance. Additionally, 88% of respondents expressed interests in attending professional society sponsored virtual grand rounds in the future.
CONCLUSIONS
Results from our survey demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of plastic surgery residents have had reductions in operative times and widespread curriculum changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. These recent changes have increased residents' stress levels and adversity affected their future career plans. Additionally, COVID-19 has heralded an increase in virtual conferences and learning modules. Plastic surgery trainees expressed a preference for virtual educational platforms and interest in continuing virtual didactics in the future. This may irreversibly change the landscape of future plastic surgery training.
Topics: COVID-19; Fellowships and Scholarships; Female; Humans; Internship and Residency; Male; Pandemics; Surgery, Plastic; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35968981
DOI: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000008419 -
Seminars in Plastic Surgery May 2022Numerous innovations within the field of plastic surgery have been developed in Israel over the last few decades. Many of these therapeutic devices and techniques have... (Review)
Review
Numerous innovations within the field of plastic surgery have been developed in Israel over the last few decades. Many of these therapeutic devices and techniques have been established globally with demonstrable efficacy and respectable safety profiles. This article offers an overview of recent Israeli cutting-edge medical therapeutic solutions contributing to the global practice of plastic surgery.
PubMed: 35937436
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1748916 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Jun 2023In the diagnosis and treatment of plastic surgery, there are structural processing problems, such as positioning, moving, and reconstructing complex three-dimensional... (Review)
Review
In the diagnosis and treatment of plastic surgery, there are structural processing problems, such as positioning, moving, and reconstructing complex three-dimensional structures. Doctors operate according to their own experience, and the inability to accurately locate these structures is an important problem in plastic surgery. Emerging digital technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and three-dimensional printing are widely used in the medical field, particularly in plastic surgery. This article reviews the development of these three technical concepts, introduces the technical elements and specific applications required in plastic surgery, summarizes the application status of the three technologies in plastic surgery, and summarizes prospects for future development.
PubMed: 37449226
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i18.4258 -
Annals of Translational Medicine May 2022Plastic surgery has evolved rapidly in recent years. We performed a bibliometric analysis of plastic surgery publications from 2010 to 2020 to evaluate global...
BACKGROUND
Plastic surgery has evolved rapidly in recent years. We performed a bibliometric analysis of plastic surgery publications from 2010 to 2020 to evaluate global developments in plastic surgery and the Chinese contribution to this field.
METHODS
The 2020 Journal Citation Reports (JCR) was used to identify all plastic surgery journals; those that were available on the Web of Science database were retrieved and analyzed according to their number of published articles, citation rates, impact factors (IFs), research funding, and article references. We also determined the most popular journals for research from the 8 top-ranking countries in terms of contributed articles, including China.
RESULTS
From 2010 to 2020, 55,554 articles were published in the 35 selected plastic surgery journals. China, which contributed 9.48% of these articles, was the country with the second-highest number of articles published, a number which has been increasing annually. The average IF of Chinese articles was 1.74, with an average citation count of 6.68. These figures were significantly lower than those for articles from developed countries. China contributed 1,641 articles to the 10 highest impact plastic surgery journals. The was the most popular in terms of contributions by China. China had the highest rate of articles supported by funding (45.30%). The top 12 research-topic clusters were obtained by analyzing the references in the articles. Emerging research-topic trends worldwide and in China included fat grafting and blindness after filler injection.
CONCLUSIONS
From 2010 to 2020, research into plastic surgery increased continuously, both worldwide and in China. However, the quality of the Chinese articles was lower than that of other top-ranked countries. Researchers who have elected to conduct research might consider emerging trends when designing future studies.
PubMed: 35722366
DOI: 10.21037/atm-22-137 -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Oct 2022
Topics: Humans; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Surgery, Plastic
PubMed: 36205154
DOI: No ID Found -
Seminars in Plastic Surgery May 2022Plastic surgery is a broad field that requires a mixed skillset. Therefore, it is important that students be exposed to all its various subspecialties to make informed... (Review)
Review
Plastic surgery is a broad field that requires a mixed skillset. Therefore, it is important that students be exposed to all its various subspecialties to make informed career decisions and to properly refer patients in different clinical situations. A nationwide survey was conducted of Israeli medical students to investigate their knowledge and perceptions regarding the field of plastic surgery and its subspecialties, and the impact of a clinical rotation in plastic surgery on these factors. A total of 300 subjects responded. Approximately, 61% of the cohort was female and 70% were enrolled in a 6-year program. About one-third stated that their field of interest was surgical rather than medical. Significant variability was noted in the accuracy of responses to questions about different procedures encompassed in the scope of plastic surgery. Although 90% of the students were aware of some common plastic surgery procedures that are also often thought to be well known to the public, only 50% were able to correctly identify lesser-known surgeries performed by plastic surgeons. Knowledge about plastic surgery was unrelated to an interest in the field. We recommend adjusting preclinical instruction and clinical rotations in plastic surgery to better prepare students to select a specialty best suited to their future goals, as well as to improve their ability to refer patients to other specialists as necessary.
PubMed: 35937440
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1749153 -
Annals of Plastic Surgery Feb 2021In light of the most competitive match in history, the plastic and reconstructive surgery application process is in the midst of unprecedented times due to the COVID-19...
In light of the most competitive match in history, the plastic and reconstructive surgery application process is in the midst of unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person visiting subinternships and interview processes have transitioned to online formats. The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons, program directors, coordinators, faculty, and residents have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to providing meaningful experiences for prospective applicants. The passion of the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery is palpable, and the innovative virtual experiences have resulted in the formation of a community despite the lack of in-person experiences.
Topics: COVID-19; Internship and Residency; Personnel Selection; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Surgery, Plastic; United States
PubMed: 33095553
DOI: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000002568 -
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.... Apr 2022Health literacy of plastic surgery patients may affect surgical decision-making and perioperative outcomes. In addition to consulting a plastic surgeon, patients often...
UNLABELLED
Health literacy of plastic surgery patients may affect surgical decision-making and perioperative outcomes. In addition to consulting a plastic surgeon, patients often refer to online-based resources to learn about surgical options. The aim of this scoping review was to identify evidence detailing the state of health literacy of plastic surgery patients and available resources to highlight areas of improvement for clinical practice and future research.
METHODS
Utilizing PubMed and Web of Science databases, 46 eligible studies that analyzed health literacy in plastic surgery patients and readability of plastic surgery resources were included. Extracted characteristics from eligible studies included study size, type of analysis, findings, and conclusions.
RESULTS
Regardless of plastic surgery procedure or subspecialty, resources presenting plastic surgery information to patients exceeded the American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health recommended sixth- to eighth-grade reading level. Plastic surgery patients demonstrated greater knowledge of preoperative indications and surgical benefits compared with postoperative outcomes and surgical risks.
CONCLUSIONS
Most health literacy research in plastic surgery focuses on readability of written internet-based resources as opposed to direct assessment of health literacy in plastic surgery patients. Plastic surgery resources exceed the recommended mean reading grade level. Dedicated efforts to recognize and accommodate a patient's level of health literacy in plastic surgery should be considered.
PubMed: 35433155
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004247 -
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Oct 2023ChatGPT is an open-source artificial large language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like text dialogue. This observational study evaluated the ability of... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
ChatGPT is an open-source artificial large language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like text dialogue. This observational study evaluated the ability of ChatGPT to provide informative and accurate responses to a set of hypothetical questions designed to simulate an initial consultation about rhinoplasty.
METHODS
Nine questions were prompted to ChatGPT on rhinoplasty. The questions were sourced from a checklist published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the responses were assessed for accessibility, informativeness, and accuracy by Specialist Plastic Surgeons with extensive experience in rhinoplasty.
RESULTS
ChatGPT was able to provide coherent and easily comprehensible answers to the questions posed, demonstrating its understanding of natural language in a health-specific context. The responses emphasized the importance of an individualized approach, particularly in aesthetic plastic surgery. However, the study also highlighted ChatGPT's limitations in providing more detailed or personalized advice.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the results suggest that ChatGPT has the potential to provide valuable information to patients in a medical context, particularly in situations where patients may be hesitant to seek advice from medical professionals or where access to medical advice is limited. However, further research is needed to determine the scope and limitations of AI language models in this domain and to assess the potential benefits and risks associated with their use.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V
Observational study under respected authorities. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Topics: Humans; Rhinoplasty; Artificial Intelligence; Surgery, Plastic; Counseling; Esthetics; Referral and Consultation
PubMed: 37095384
DOI: 10.1007/s00266-023-03338-7 -
The Surgeon : Journal of the Royal... Dec 2023The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of remote patient and professional communication. This has been especially important for highly specialised and...
BACKGROUND
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of remote patient and professional communication. This has been especially important for highly specialised and regionally-based specialties such as plastic surgery. The aim of this study was to review how UK plastic surgery units represent themselves online and their phone accessibility.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
UK plastic surgery units were identified using the BAPRAS website and their websites and telephone accessibility assessed.
RESULTS
Whilst a minority of units have clearly invested heavily in ensuring comprehensive webpages, nearly a third have no dedicated webpage at all. We found significant variation in quality and user-friendliness of online resources both for patients and for other healthcare professionals, with less than a quarter of units providing comprehensive contact details, emergency referral guidance, or information about changes to services due to Covid-19, to highlight a few areas. Communication with the BAPRAS website was also poor with less than half of web-links connecting to correct and relevant webpage and only 13.5% of phone numbers connecting directly to a useful plastic surgery number. In the phone component of our study we found that 47% of calls to 'direct' numbers went to voicemail but wait-times were significantly less than going through hospital switchboards and connections were more accurate.
CONCLUSION
In a world where a business' credibility is so heavily based on their online appearance and, in an increasingly online era of medicine, we hope that this study may be a resource for units to improve their web-based resources and prompt further research in enhancing patient experience online.
Topics: Humans; Surgery, Plastic; Pandemics; Plastic Surgery Procedures; COVID-19; Referral and Consultation; Internet
PubMed: 37308375
DOI: 10.1016/j.surge.2023.05.003