Patient selection criteria

Most malpractice claims are based on failures of communication and patient selection criteria, not on technical faults. This article examines the psyc hological aspects of plastic surgery and then discusses the role of effecti ve communication as a claims prevention technique. The authors delineate ge neral characteristics of trouble-prone patient groups so that the surgeon m ay distinguish those patients whose body image and personality characterist ics make them simply unsuitable for the elective aesthetic surgery that the y seek.