What factors will influence patients when choosing plastic surgeons? A behaviour analysis of Chinese patients

To analyze the factors that patients consider when choosing plastic surgeons and investigate patients' attitudes toward physicians' aesthetic ability and their adherence toward same-gender physicians.

A cross-sectional study was conducted. All patients who presented for evaluation and management between January and April 2022 were eligible for study enrolment. Data collected include demographical information and specific questions related to choosing plastic surgeons, including physician's education, surgical ability, research, title, appearance, dress, age, aesthetics, the patient's preference for physicians' gender, and the way of learning about physicians.

1006 valid respondents participated, and the average age was 46.44 ± 15.51 years old (participation rate 99.60%). 72.5% were female. Plastic surgery history (OR 3.242, 95%CI: 1.664-6.317, p = 0.001), education (OR 1.895, 95%CI: 1.064-3.375, p = 0.030), income (OR 1.340, 95%CI: 1.026-1.750, p = 0.032), sexual orientation (OR 1.662, 95%CI: 1.066-2.589, p = 0.025), and concern for the physicians' appearance (OR 1.564, 95%CI: 1.160-2.107, p = 0.003) were significantly associated with patients' tendency to value physicians' aesthetic ability. Marital status (OR 0.766, 95% CI: 0.616-0.951, p = 0.016), income (OR 0.896,95% CI: 0.811-0.990, p = 0.031), the attention to physicians' age (OR 1.191,95% CI: 1.031-1.375, p = 0.017), and the attention to physicians' aesthetic ability (OR 0.775,95% CI: 0.666-0.901, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with the respondents' same-gender adherence degree.

These findings suggest that patients with plastic surgery history, higher income, higher education background, and more diverse sexual orientation paid more attention to physicians' aesthetic ability. Marriage and income would affect the same-gender adherence degree, which would further influence patients' attention to the doctor's age and aesthetic ability.