Where A Trust-based Relationship StartsPlastic surgery in Lyon and Geneva
Any doctor needs to get to know his patient in order to understand their wishes and best meet their expectations. Likewise, any patient wants to know the doctor who will perform the surgery so that they feel reassured and confident. This explains why the first medical consultation is the most important and longest one, as, for any plastic surgery procedure, it is crucial to take time to think and to make the right decision in a dispassionate manner.
Patients request frequently to see pictures of surgical outcomes. The surgeon can sometimes show some examples, and can also run a computer simulation that would reflect the actual proposed alteration. However, it is important to keep in mind that the information provided gives general indications only, and that the examples are not contractual because each procedure and its associated result are personal.
First step
The patient fills out a thorough questionnaire that helps to understand their motivations. This is a crucial step to assess the patient’s psychological resilience and therefore identify those who are seeking to use surgery to resolve problems that are more psychological in nature.
This questionnaire, which is primarily a dialogue between the surgeon and his patient, helps to identify the patient’s actual motivations for the procedure.
This assessment is the surgeon’s opportunity to analyse, from different angles, the origins of the problem that are driving the desire for surgery; the physical need for any procedure, which is illustrated by means of the patient’s photographs or x-rays; and for him to determine whether or not the patient is a good candidate for the procedure.
Second step
With the patient, the surgeon thoroughly reviews the details of the procedure step-by-step, as well as the results that can be expected. He also describes with full transparency the possible temporary side-effects, the normal recovery process, and any potential adverse events post-surgery. This allows the patient to make an informed decision.
Third step
At the end of the consultation, an educational leaflet on the discussed procedure and an accurate estimate of the cost are handed out to the patient. Whilst reflecting, and before making any decision, the patient can, of course, ask for additional explanations, and can also get a second free consultation, if necessary.
