Medical Students Perception of the Scope of Plastic Surgery

Abstract

Background: Plastic surgery has developed to benefit in a variety of challenging areas formerly handled by other disciplines. Society lack a basic understanding of plastic surgery as a clinical area of expertise, including general practitioners, nursing staff, medical trainees, and the general public. Methodology: pre-clinical l and clinical year students of Kuwait University were rolled into the study.The purpose of the study was not declared, which was to assess student perception of plastic surgery, and rather disclosed that it was to assess general knowledge of various medical scenarios, preceded with questions on background information. The survey was generated by using Survey Monkey Software. Results: 244 students participated in the study including 121 males and 123 females, with a mean age of 21 (±2). Number of students who participated in the survey from 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th academic year were 37 (15.2%), 42 (17.2%), 39 (16%), 42 (17.2%), 42 (17.2%) and 42 (17.2%) respectively. 126 (51.6%) were pre-clinical students, while 118 (48.4%) were clinical students. 79.8% of the students believed that plastic surgery plays an essential role in trauma management, whereas 9.2% did not consider plastic surgery significant for trauma management. Conclusion: The teaching of medical students regarding the spectrum of plastic surgery needs improvement. This can be achieved through systematic education of students who cycle on the plastic surgery service and by providing students with a succinct but thorough overview of the spectrum of plastic surgery early on during medical school.