Mrad Mohamed Amir, Al Qurashi Abdullah A, Mortada Hatan, Shah Mardan Qutaiba N M, Abuthiyab Noorah, Al Zaid Nura, Al Bakri Hadeer, Mullah Abdullah
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Section, Department of Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2022 Feb 28;10(2):e4104. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004104. eCollection 2022 Feb.
Plastic surgery is a unique field' and its scope is beyond a specific demographic group or anatomic part. The poor understanding and misconception about plastic surgeons' scope of practice has been well-established among the public, especially in Saudi Arabia; but the question is, do healthcare physicians share the same misconception? This study aims to answer this question.
This study was conducted between September 11, 2021 and November 1, 2021. This is a cross-sectional, survey-based study utilizing a self-structured questionnaire targeting physicians in Saudi Arabia.
A total of 261 medical and surgical physicians participated in this study. Nearly 45% of them demonstrated a poor understanding of plastic surgery and its scope of practice, whereas only 16.1% were sufficiently knowledgeable. Male physicians were more likely to understand the field of plastic surgery when compared with female physicians. More than 80% of the physicians knew that cosmetic operations are done by plastic surgeons, whereas 50% or less knew that reconstructive operations are conducted by plastic surgeons.
This study shows that 44.1% of the participating physicians demonstrate poor knowledge regarding plastic surgery as a field, in addition to a lack of understanding about the scope of practice of plastic surgeons. We recommend enhancing promotional efforts that raise awareness about the nature of plastic surgery as a specialty among healthcare physicians.
整形外科学是一个独特的领域，其范围超出了特定的人口群体或解剖部位。公众，尤其是在沙特阿拉伯，对整形外科医生的执业范围存在着严重的误解；但问题是，医疗保健医生是否也有同样的误解呢？本研究旨在回答这个问题。
本研究于2021年9月11日至2021年11月1日进行。这是一项基于调查的横断面研究，采用自行设计的问卷，针对沙特阿拉伯的医生。
共有261名内科和外科医生参与了本研究。其中近45%的人对整形外科学及其执业范围了解不足，而只有16.1%的人有足够的知识。与女医生相比，男医生更有可能了解整形外科学领域。超过80%的医生知道整形手术是由整形外科医生进行的，而只有50%或更少的人知道重建手术也是由整形外科医生进行的。
本研究表明，44.1%的参与医生对整形外科学领域的知识了解不足，此外，他们对整形外科医生的执业范围也缺乏了解。我们建议加强宣传力度，提高医疗保健医生对整形外科学作为一门专业的性质的认识。
