Attitudes and perceptions of medical and dental students on the implementation of non-surgical facial aesthetics in their curricula.

There is an accelerated demand for non-surgical facial aesthetics (NSFA) encompassing the use of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers. Healthcare professionals may either treat NSFA-related complications in the public sector or practise in the private sector. Currently, there is no standardised undergraduate teaching in the UK to educate healthcare professionals on NSFA. The aim of our study was to compare medical and dental undergraduate students' perceptions and awareness of NSFA, and to understand its role if implemented in each curriculum in the UK. An online questionnaire was devised and distributed via social media platforms to medical and dental students across the UK. Student responses were anonymised and collated as quantitative data, and subsequently analysed. Of the 146 respondents, 89% had no previous teaching on NSFA. Ninety-three per cent of medics and 75% of dentists agreed or strongly agreed that non-surgical aestheticians require dental or medical knowledge to deliver NSFA, and 66% of medics and 75% of dentists agreed or strongly agreed that NSFA should be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. Only 7% of medics and 8% of dentists were aware of the steps required to practise NSFA. Incoming doctors and dentists are showing interest in the field yet have no formal teaching in the area. Requiring healthcare professionals to have some baseline understanding of NSFA and its associated complications means that implementing formal education on the subject in the medical and dental curricula is an important consideration.

Pilot study: undergraduate sports & exercise medicine conferences: what role do they play?

OBJECTIVES: Sports & exercise medicine (SEM) is a specialty encompassing the management of medical problems and injuries related to physical activity through means such as exercise advice and prescription. The field of SEM has been recognised in the UK since 2005 yet there is inadequate exposure of SEM in medical curricula. Conferences may be a way to increase exposure where students meet SEM professionals, gaining greater understanding of SEM career pathways. We therefore carried out a pilot study to assess this. METHODS: The King's College London Sports & Exercise Medicine Society organised a student-led conference consisting of six lectures. Seventy-five delegates were given questionnaires on their views on SEM before and after the conference, assessed using the 5-point Likert scale. Results were analysed using a Wilcoxon-Signed Rank statistical test. RESULTS: Questionnaire feedback showed 67.4% of delegates (n=46) had received SEM related teaching in their current degree. Results of our statistical analysis showed an increase in SEM career interest (p=0.0359), an increase in understanding of what a career in SEM involves (p=0.0009) and an increase in delegate's understanding of what is required to pursue a career in SEM (p=0.0004) after our conference. CONCLUSION: The study showed issues regarding poor exposure to SEM in medical curricula and highlighted the value of student conferences. Students felt they learnt more about the roles within the SEM specialty, aiding future career progression. Thus, we suggest that student-led conferences are a good platform to bridge this gap while medical schools introduce more SEM into their curricula.