Establishing a Standardized Facial Cosmetic Preinjection Safety Tool: The ACIST

In the past 20 years, the American population has seen an increased demand for nonsurgical minimally invasive facial rejuvenation solutions for the aging process. This widespread and increased demand for cosmetic injections brings a greater propensity for complications and adverse events. Choosing suitable patients for dermal filler is essential, as is concrete knowledge of the factors related to adverse events; however, there was no standardized tool to facilitate this process. The Joint Commission's Universal Safety checklist tools have been integrated into hospital surgical operating rooms and ambulatory outpatient settings across America and internationally and have successfully reduced errors in patient safety and outcomes. This article establishes the importance of integrating the Assessment Cosmetic Injection Safety Tool (ACIST), a standardized preinjection safety tool, into the cosmetic practice to decrease the incidence of adverse events associated with dermal filler and to achieve optimal patient satisfaction and outcomes. The ACIST was designed from the scientific literature, piloted at an urban cosmetic practice in the southern United States, finalized on the basis of feedback from participating staff members at the pilot study center, and disseminated to cosmetic nurse injectors.