Factors Influencing Surgeons' Decisions in Elective Cosmetic Surgery Consultations

Sharon A. Cook, Robert Rosser, M. Ian James, Sue Kaney and Peter Salmon
Additional contact information
Sharon A. Cook: St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Whiston Hospital, Prescot, Merseyside, United Kingdom, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Robert Rosser: St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Whiston Hospital, Prescot, Merseyside, United Kingdom, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
M. Ian James: St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Whiston Hospital, Prescot, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Sue Kaney: St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Whiston Hospital, Prescot, Merseyside, United Kingdom, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Peter Salmon: Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Medical Decision Making, 2007, vol. 27, issue 3, 311-320

Abstract: Background. Current guidelines for surgeons' decisions about whether to offer cosmetic surgery are ineffective. Therefore, surgeons have to make difficult decisions on a case-by-case basis. The authors sought to identify the patient variables that influence surgeons' decisions in practice. Design. A qualitative study first delineated, from observation of consultations and interviews with surgeons and other staff, variables that might influence their decisions. Then, in a cross-sectional survey of patients seeking cosmetic surgery, the authors measured these variables and tested whether they predicted the surgeons' decisions to offer surgery. Participants. Participants were 6 consultant plastic surgeons who assess cosmetic surgery referrals and 276 new patients aged 16 years or older referred to these surgeons. Results. The qualitative study suggested that, as well as clinical factors (the probability of a satisfactory surgical outcome and the risks v. benefits of surgery), surgery was more likely to be offered where it was of low cost (i.e., minor skin surgery), physical symptoms or dysfunction were present, and abnormality of appearance was extreme. The role of patients' quality of life was unclear. The quantitative study confirmed that the probability of surgery was increased where requests were for minor skin procedures and by abnormality of patients' appearance. In patients seeking major body procedures, surgery was less likely when patients reported poor quality of life. Conclusion. Surgeons' decisions about whether to offer elective cosmetic surgery follow systematic rules. By incorporating the factors that surgeons use in their decision making, more effective guidelines about elective cosmetic surgery provision than are presently available could be developed.

Keywords: cosmetic surgery; decision making; guideline development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0272989X07300607 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:medema:v:27:y:2007:i:3:p:311-320

DOI: 10.1177/0272989X07300607

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Medical Decision Making
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().