Awareness and Perception of Plastic Surgery among Healthcare Professionals in Pune, India: Do They Really Know What We Do?

Purpose. The aim of this study is to understand the level of awareness and knowledge of plastic surgery in healthcare professionals in a tertiary health care facility in Pune, India. This study also aims to highlight the perception of the medical professionals about plastic surgery and what they think a plastic surgeon does. Materials and Methods. A questionnaire-based survey was done at B.J Medical College and Sassoon Hospital, Pune in 2011. Feedback evaluation forms from hundred resident doctors and faculty were evaluated and analyzed. Results. There is not much awareness about plastic surgery as a specialty amongst health care providers. Plastic surgery is mostly perceived as cosmetic surgery, and the other spectrum of the patients we cater to goes largely unnoticed. Of all the clinical conditions given to the participants, there was not a single clinical condition where the respondents favored unanimously for plastic surgeons. Conclusion. Plastic surgery as a specialty is poorly understood by our medical colleagues, and the onus of creating and improving the awareness and perception of our specialty lies on us. Herculean unified efforts at individual as well as global level will help us achieve this goal. 1. Introduction People in today’s world are more health conscious and are aware of the different medical specialties. Despite the tremendous advancements in the field of plastic surgery, there seems to be a limited knowledge among the general public and also among medical professionals regarding the spectrum of plastic surgery. As a medical specialty, plastic surgery is poorly understood by both the general public and some medical professionals as well. This study is an attempt to establish the knowledge of the medical community on the specialty of plastic surgery and the spectrum of patients they cater to. Unlike in western countries, the public literacy level and awareness in India are very disproportionate. Therefore we did not include the general public in the study. Instead, we included the medical professionals in our study. These people contribute considerably to the health care of the public. We felt that understanding the attitude and perception of our medical colleagues will be more vital than assessing the knowledge of the public. We wanted to know whom should we educate first—the doctors or the public. 2. Materials and Methods We conducted a questionnaire-based study among a selected group of healthcare professionals to assess their attitude, knowledge, and perception of plastic surgery. A well-structured questionnaire was administered