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PCPs chose dermatologists as most qualified for certain procedures
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A majority of primary care physicians identified dermatologists as the most qualified specialists to perform cosmetic and surgical procedures, including skin cancer surgery, filler injections and laser procedures, according to survey results.
The findings will be presented by researcher Omar A. Ibrahimi, MD, PhD, director of the Connecticut Skin Institute in Stamford, Conn., at the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery annual meeting in Atlanta, which begins today.
Omar A. Ibrahimi
"We did this research because there is a great deal of "snakeoilmanship" when it comes to cosmetic procedures of the skin,” Ibrahimi told Healio.com. "This is really a disservice to patients because they can be confused as to who the best specialist for a particular procedure might be. We know that primary care physicians [PCPs] serve as the gatekeepers of medicine and are a trusted source of information for their patients so we felt it was important to objectively assess their perceptions."
The Internet-based survey was completed by 538 PCPs in the United States, who were asked to identify the specialist most qualified to perform certain cosmetic and surgical procedures. Ninety-five percent chose dermatologists as most qualified to evaluate and biopsy worrisome facial lesions. PCPs also identified dermatologists as most qualified to perform skin cancer surgery (56%), inject botulinum toxin (61%) and fillers (55%) and perform laser procedures (75%). Mohs’ micrographic surgery (MMS) was correctly defined by 70% of the PCPs, with 60% choosing a fellowship-trained dermatologist as best qualified to perform MMS.
"We were not surprised by the results that family care physicians identified dermatologists as their physicians of choice in these areas because of their level of knowledge of our expertise and how closely our specialties work together," Ibrahimi said.
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