ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2026
"Doc, Is This Normal?" A Retrospective Review of Patient Messaging for a Single Surgeon in an Academic Plastic Surgery Practice.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Secure messaging increases patient engagement but adds to physician workload and burnout. Plastic surgeons face heightened pressure to maintain responsiveness and satisfaction due to online ratings. This study examines electronic medical record messaging trends to optimize discharge and preoperative information to reduce message volume and improve patient-provider communication while supporting physician well-being in a highly scrutinized field. Methods: A single-institution, institutional review board-approved retrospective cross-sectional review was conducted of patient messages directed to a single academic plastic surgeon at Duke University Hospital over a span of 18 months from July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024. Patient demographics, message topics, and the date/time of each message were extracted via chart review then securely stored in a REDCap database for subsequent analysis. Results: Of the 403 patient-initiated electronic medical record messages, most were from women (343) 30-50 years of age (171). Over half (213) were preoperative and related to aesthetic body procedures (154). Medical questions with and without photographs were the most frequently asked questions. Message frequency peaked on weekdays during work hours. Conclusions: This review of patient-initiated messages to an academic plastic surgeon over a continuous 18-month period indicates that digital communication has become a significant component of clinical workflow with most inquiries from middle-aged female patients seeking aesthetic procedures, often preoperatively and during already busy work hours. Optimizing patient education, triage protocols, and institutional support (via office staff, nurses, and advanced practice practitioners) in the preoperative period can reduce unnecessary queries, improving communication efficiency while balancing patient needs with physician well-being.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.