A Systematic Review on the Current Trend In Nonsurgical Aesthetic Training for Knowledge, Skill, and Professional Identity Formation

A Systematic Review to Explore the Role of Industry and Regulators on Minimally Invasive Aesthetics Education: A Tale of Two Cities

INTRODUCTION

The aesthetic medicine industry has seen significant growth due to technological advancements and increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures. This sector's influence on educational institutions is profound, often shaping curricula to align with industry standards. However, this focus can sometimes narrow educational scope, potentially compromising the broader intellectual and ethical development of medical professionals.

METHODS

This study employs a comprehensive literature review to examine the influence of the aesthetic medicine industry on medical education. A systematic search was conducted across academic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, focusing on articles published between January 2003 and December 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies examining the impact of industry on medical education, financial relationships, ethical implications, and student outcomes.

RESULTS

Out of 279 studies identified, 21 met the inclusion criteria. The analysis highlighted themes such as the need for a balanced curriculum integrating both theoretical and practical training, the impact of financial incentives on educational integrity, and the importance of ethical guidelines. The literature underscores the necessity for standardised curricula and enhanced regulatory oversight to ensure comprehensive and unbiased education.

CONCLUSION

The aesthetic medicine industry's significant influence on medical education necessitates a balanced approach that integrates industry advancements with ethical and comprehensive educational practices. Addressing these challenges requires collaboration between academic institutions and industry partners, alongside stringent regulatory oversight. By ensuring educational integrity and fostering holistic training, the field can produce well-rounded professionals capable of ethical and effective practice in aesthetic medicine.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

How an Automated Patient Education Module Improves Patient Outcomes and Informs Quality-of-Care Measures for Providers Within a Minimally Invasive Aesthetic Practice

I conducted a quality improvement project to determine whether providing patient education before consultation and treatment would help meet the needs of aesthetic patients and providers. The project objective was to create an automated patient education module that provided consistent, accurate information to each patient who viewed it and would give the providers additional time to treat the patient and generate revenue. Before and during the 6-week study period, I administered three surveys and reviewed electronic health records metrics indicating patient check-in and check-out times and facility revenue. I used descriptive statistics to examine the demographics of the patients included in the study. I analyzed check-in and check-out times and facility revenue by conducting two-tailed Mann-Whitney U tests. There were a total of 201 patient visits in the 6-week period before the study and a total of 316 patient visits during the study period. Most patients were White, married women, 50- to 59-years-old, with at least some college education. The most common treatments administered were neurotoxin and dermal filler injections. After implementing the preappointment education, I found a significant reduction in the length of patient appointments (p < .001) and a significant increase in facility revenue (p < .037). I concluded that after implementing the education program, patient understanding about the intended treatment was improved. To better correlate how preappointment automated education impacts the amount of time the provider spends with patients and influences practice revenue, I recommend conducting a longer study with a greater number of patients.

A Core Curriculum for Postgraduate Program in Non-Surgical Aesthetics: A Cross-sectional Delphi Study

Background

The desire for portraying a young and beautiful face and body is driving people to seek aesthetic treatment and accelerating the exponential growth of nonsurgical aesthetic (NSA) procedures. Unfortunately, despite impressive advances, NSA is yet to have a formal clinical education program.

Objectives

This study aimed to identify the content and structure of an evidence-based postgraduate curriculum in NSA.

Methods

The Delphi questionnaire was developed after a comprehensive literature review and a focus group discussion. The questionnaire was emailed to 40 experts and 20 trainee physicians worldwide through the online survey platform and was asked to assign a rating on a 4-point Likert scale. A “1” represents a strong disagreement about integrating a topic in the NSA curriculum, and a “4” indicates a firm agreement. A pre-fixed percentage agreement of 80% and Cronbach’s α = 0.90 was established to represent a consensus for the current study.

Results

The response rate for the Delphi study was 90.0%, 88.8%, and 90% in the first, second, and third rounds, respectively. The experts and trainee physicians agreed with all the proposed topics (≥80%) and considered them critical for the proposed NSA curriculum. The mean score for each was ≥ 3, and Cronbach’s α value for the Delphi was 0.94, confirming internal consistency and reliability.

Conclusions

The consensus demonstrates significant advances toward developing an evidence-based curriculum for a postgraduate program in NSA, which is essential to support the growing demand for trained aesthetic physicians.