Establishment of Saudi Arabia’s Plastic Surgery Interest Club: First-year Outcomes and Future Directions

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this article is to share our first-year outcomes and the overall impact of the plastic surgery interest club (PSIC) since its establishment, and to discuss the future directions that any interested club may follow and benefit from. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a self-developed questionnaire that experts in the field revised. The authors recruited active PSIC members during the year 2021–2022 to assess the overall impact of the club in their various interests of the field as well as to have an overview of their opinions of this newly done initiative in Saudi Arabia. The data collection spanned from October 2021 to September 2022. Results: The authors analyzed the responses from 66 active members with a response rate of 78%. We found various significant positive impacts of the PSIC in the community of plastic surgery in Saudi Arabia. There was a significant difference in the interest in pursuing a career in plastic surgery before and after being a member of PSIC, with a P value of 0.0001. The members became noticeably more interested in pursuing an academic career and publishing field data after enrolling in PSIC research activities. Conclusions: The authors provided an analysis of 1-year outcomes of the PSIC in Saudi Arabia; there were many positive impacts of such an initiative in enhancing the local community of plastic and reconstructive surgery. The authors strongly encourage the adaption of such initiatives in various parts of the globe to develop the field of plastic surgery further.