Medical students have a biased perception of the discipline of plastic surgery, and this is largely influenced by television. Interventions aimed at educating medical students on this topic are recommended, including a greater presence in the curriculum of pre-school medical schools. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that medical students have many misconceptions about the scope of practice of plastic surgery. These misconceptions are based on the lack of education and exposure to the discipline in their first years of training, as well as on the influence of popular media.
In addition to interventions specifically aimed at educating medical students, the media represent an ideal means of changing public perception of plastic surgery on a large scale and for the better, so that the work of plastic surgeons, which changes lives and improves quality of life, is more recognized and appreciated. One student noted that these perceptions of plastic surgery as an aesthetic discipline exist outside of medical-themed television, particularly on reality shows, and are generally viewed in a negative light. Matarasso agrees and adds that there are many branches within the universe of plastic surgery, such as hand surgery, pediatric care, cancer reconstruction and microsurgery, which involves operating under a microscope to heal a wound. One of the most common misconceptions about plastic surgery, which directly contributes to the stigma against plastic surgery, is the idea that it is of a purely cosmetic surgery.
Participants in the third and fourth year medical school focus groups from both groups explained that, as they progressed in their training, they became more familiar with the breadth of the scope of practice of plastic surgeons. The forehead flap was one of the first cosmetic surgeries performed in ancient India because centuries ago, when peoples were conquered, they would cut the noses of those who lost to mark them, and this early form of surgery was used to repair damage. Today, both plastic surgeons and dermatologists talk openly about the types of treatments and procedures they perform in the office. But he did it with titanium plates and with the help of a surgeon specialized in maxillofacial reconstruction, a specialty specializing in plastic surgery.
Focus group participants were also well aware that plastic surgeons routinely treat patients with burns. Both the survey and the focus groups identified that there is a gap in knowledge among medical students regarding the scope of practice of plastic surgeons. Thomas Rees is credited with incorporating science into cosmetic plastic surgery and publishing one of the first comprehensive books on cosmetic surgery in the 1970s. Even those who had not completed plastic surgery rotations gained greater knowledge thanks to their interactions with plastic surgery in the context of a consultation.
Thomas*, a Pittsburgh lawyer, recalls the night when he urgently needed a plastic surgeon, after surviving a random attack by a brick-wielding stranger. Kolker had recognized my deflated appearance and, although it was proof that he had seen what I saw, the flat and flabby appearance had also weakened my self-esteem, and for me the solution was a natural-looking implant that looked like me. Several studies have found that medical students have misconceptions about plastic surgery; however, no recent study has examined the factors that influence these misconceptions.
