WORKPLACE RELATIONS are you ready?

ON 1 JULY 2023, the Medical Board of Australia introduced tight regulations on medical practitioners practising cosmetic surgery and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Here’s what you need to know.

The reforms draw a distinction between cosmetic surgery (involves cutting beneath the skin) and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures (does not involve cutting beneath the skin but may involve piercing the skin).

Medical practitioners need to clearly inform their patients of their registration type and must not make claims about their expertise or qualifications that could mislead patients. Where a medical practitioner’s scope of practice includes cosmetic surgery, they must undertake continuing professional development that includes activities pertaining to cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic Surgery

All patients seeking cosmetic surgery will need a referral from another medical practitioner

(preferably their usual GP) who has no association with the medical practitioner to whom they are referred. The referring doctor must not perform cosmetic surgery or non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Medical practitioners must decline to perform cosmetic surgery where they believe it is not in the patient’s best interest.

Medical practitioners performing the surgery must explicitly discuss and keep a record of each patients’ motivations for having cosmetic surgery. This includes administering a valid screening assessment for underlying psychological conditions like body dysmorphia disorder.

If there are indications of a significant underlying psychological issues that may make the patient unsuitable, the medical practitioner must refer the patient to a psychiatrist, psychologist or GP who works independently of the medical practitioner for assessment.

Patients must have at least two pre-operative consultations with the medical practitioner who will perform the surgery, one of which must be in person.

A patient must not be asked to sign consent forms at the first consultation by the medical practitioner performing the surgery. Patients must be given a coolingoff period of at least seven days after the two consultations and provide informed consent before the surgery can be booked or a deposit paid.

There are additional requirements for patients under the age of 18 years. All patients must be referred to and evaluated by a psychologist, psychiatrist or general practitioner who works independently of the medical practitioner who will perform the surgery. Regard, to the extent that is practicable, is to be had to the views of the parent or guardian of the patient, and there must be a cooling off period of at least three months between provision of informed consent and the surgery being performed.

Facilities where cosmetic surgery is performed must be registered with an Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care