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Poor correlation between cosmetic surgery exam questions and procedural nationwide data

There was a poor correlation between content on the Plastic Surgery In-Service Training Exam and procedural volume data, and researchers hope these findings will optimize clinical and didactic experiences for training in cosmetic surgery.

The researchers evaluated digital syllabi of six consecutive PSITE administrations to determine the cosmetic surgery topics.

Questions were categorized by taxonomy, focus, anatomy and procedure, according to the researchers.

A total of 301 questions addressed cosmetic topics and 20 required image interpretation. The taxonomy of the questions favored decision-making in 40% of cases and recall 37% of the time over interpretation at 23%.

Treatments and outcomes were favored over pathology and diagnoses for question answers.

Eighty-five percent of tested procedures were surgical and 25% focused on the breast.

Breast augmentation was represented in 12% of the questions, followed by rhinoplasty (11%), blepharoplasty (10%) and body contouring (6%).

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery was the most cited journal with a large majority at 58%, with Clinics in Plastic Surgery following at 7%.

Only half of graduating plastic surgeons feel adequately trained to integrate cosmetic surgery into their practice, according to researchers.

Early exposure to the clinical management of cosmetic surgery patients will improve resident confidence in performing aesthetic surgery, the researchers concluded. – by Abigail Sutton

Disclosure: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.