National survey published on botulinum toxin complications
The survey, created with a cross-disciplinary focus group, looks to capture a range of impacts of complications of botulinum toxin injections and contribute to building a scientific evidence base to inform safer evidence-based practice. The collaboration formalises a partnership which has extended for several years.
Created with a cross-disciplinary team including researchers, psychologists, clinicians and patient representatives, the survey has the primary aim of capturing individual consumer experiences following the receipt of botulinum toxin injections. If patients have had a challenging experience that they wish to share, this survey will provide the platform for them to do so. It is hoped that this information will give a better understanding of the types of difficulties that members of the public may have experienced.
This is particularly timely, as the highly anticipated government public consultation on the design of a new licence for non-surgical cosmetic practice in England is set to be launched by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the spring of this year. It is hoped that the data collected from this survey will inform the public consultation and assist the UK government in its endeavour to introduce statutory regulation for the aesthetic and non-surgical cosmetic industry.
“Collaborating with BAAPS and the JCCP will bring together expertise which can help to shape best practice, and as a first step, we are looking to capture the patient experience," said Dr David Zargaran, lead researcher at UCL. "Our previous research has already highlighted how important a robust evidence base is in ensuring patient safety. This project will build on our previous work, and I am looking forward to continuing to evaluate the true public health impact of the aesthetic injectables market.”
Prof Ash Mosahebi, professor of Plastic Surgery at UCL and chair of the BAAPS Academy research council, added: “This collaboration is a great example of the direct translational impact of the research we strive to undertake at UCL, leveraging the expertise of the JCCP and BAAPS too. The aesthetic sector can significantly benefit from greater research to understand the potential risks to patients, and we hope that with this survey we can better understand the risks of the sector as a whole”.
Prof. David Sines CBE, the chair of the JCCP concluded: “The JCCP is delighted to engage with BAAPS and the UCL research team as a partner in this collaborative research project. The JCCP is committed to encouraging the collection of objective empirical data to assist in the construction of a robust and reliable evidence base upon which responsive systems of clinical governance and national oversight can be based for the aesthetic sector in the UK. The JCCP is actively supporting and promoting this research study".