Consumer Awareness and Comfort with Resident-run Cosmetic Clinics: A Crowdsourcing Study

Abstract

Background: Resident cosmetic clinics (RCCs) are the training modality of choice among both residents and faculty and are a mainstay at most residency programs.^1-4 Despite this, knowledge of RCCs among plastic surgery consumers remains untested. We hypothesize that the public would be aware of and receptive to RCCs.

Methods: Participants with prior cosmetic procedures or interest in future cosmetic procedures were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk and asked to complete a survey in September 2020. First, prior awareness of RCCs was assessed. After a brief description of RCCs, perceptions of safety and preferences for care were assessed.

Results: After screening for quality, 815 responses were included. Forty-five percent of consumers were aware of RCCs. Seventy-six percent of consumers believed that RCCs were just as safe as attending clinics and 65% were comfortable receiving care from fourth-year residents or higher. Belief in RCC safety was associated with 4.8 times higher odds of feeling comfortable receiving care at an RCC [95% confidence interval (3.3-7.1), P < 0.001]. When given a hypothetical choice between residents and attendings in two scenarios, 46% of consumers chose residents for abdominoplasty and 60% chose residents for Botox injections. Belief in RCC safety was associated with choosing a resident or being indifferent in both scenarios.

Conclusions: Consumer preference regarding RCCs has largely been untested. This study shows that belief in RCC safety influences consumers' perceived comfort with receiving care at an RCC. This knowledge can help guide RCC practice and maximize learning opportunities for surgeons-in-training.

Fig. 1.

Infographic for public education. After obtaining data on the respondent’s baseline knowledge of RCCs, this figure was displayed. Once the respondent acknowledged reading through the information, questions regarding preferences for RCCs were asked. Graphic credit: iGrad, “The Road Map to Becoming a Doctor.” https://www.igrad.com/infographics/a-holistic-approach-to-supporting-a-childs-education, accessed 14 October 2020.

Fig. 2.

Level of comfort by different procedure. Mean comfort with receiving different types of cosmetic procedures at RCCs with error bars denoting SD. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the respondent’s comfort with receiving care at RCCs by procedure type, P < 0.001.

Fig. 3.

Hypothetical scenario using abdominoplasty. Results of a hypothetical scenario involving an abdominoplasty. Demographic and clinical variables entered into multivariate regression were: age, gender, race, education, income, marital status, region of residence, past cosmetic procedures, whether respondent has biological children, whether respondent works in healthcare, and whether respondent believes RCCs are as safe as attendings’ clinics.

Fig. 4.

Hypothetical scenario using noninvasive Botox injections. Results of a hypothetical scenario involving a Botox injection. Demographic and clinical variables entered into multivariate regression were: age, gender, race, education, income, marital status, region of residence, past cosmetic procedures, whether respondent has biological children, whether respondent works in healthcare, and whether respondent believes RCCs are as safe as attendings’ clinics.