Evaluation of plastic surgery resident aesthetic clinic websites

A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Military Physician Residency Websites

INTRODUCTION

Medical physician residency program websites often serve as the first contact for any prospective applicant. No analysis of military residency program websites has yet been conducted, in contrast to their civilian counterparts. This study evaluated all military residency programs certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) 2021-2022 to determine program website comprehensiveness and accessibility and identify areas for improvement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A list of military residency programs in the USA was compiled using Defense Health Agency Graduate Medical Education resources together with the ACGME database. A total of 15 objective website criteria covering education and recruitment content were assessed by two independent evaluators. Accessibility was also scored. Programs' website scores were compared by geographic location, specialty affiliation, type of institution partnership, and program size. Analysis was performed with descriptive statistics and comparison via an unpaired t-test or Kruskal-Wallis analysis, as appropriate.

RESULTS

A total of 124 military residency program websites were evaluated with a range of scores from 0 to 15 out of 15 possible points. Six programs had no identifiable website. All three services were represented with 43% joint-service programs. Content concerning physician education and development was more widely available than content directed toward the recruitment of applicants. The number of residency program websites reporting each content criterion varied greatly, but overall, no single service had a significantly higher score across their residencies' websites. Significant variation occurred among individual specialties (P < .05) but there was no significant difference in surgical and nonsurgical specialties. Civilian-associated programs (18 programs, 14.5%) were associated with significantly greater website comprehensiveness scored best on informatics measures for recruitment and performed 64% better than military-only programs overall.

CONCLUSIONS

Program information in an accessible website platform allows prospective applicants to gain comprehensive perspectives of programs during the application process without reliance on personal visits and audition rotations. Limitations to in-person experiences, such as those caused by reductions in travel and concern for student safety during the global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, may be alleviated by accessible virtual information. Our results indicate that there is opportunity for all military residency programs to improve their websites and better recruit applicants through understanding their audience and optimizing their reach online.

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

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.