1. What is the decision or change (e.g., clinical topic, practice guideline, system design, delivery of care) you are facing or struggling with where a summary of the evidence would be helpful?
We are interested in anything related to breast implant illness. This is a real illness experienced by many women with breast implants that is often dismissed by plastic surgeons who have a financial conflict of interest related to putting implants in. There is very little data related to breast implant illness, women are not adequately informed of the risks and presentation, and symptoms are so diverse and may occur long after implant placement that it is very difficult to get a diagnosis without spending considerable money seeing many specialists, none of whom have any knowledge of this disease. Guidelines need to be in place to help women understand all aspects of breast implant illness and physicians other than plastic surgeons (who have a conflict of interest) need to be informed on how to adequately follow women with implants and how to diagnose this disease.
2. Why are you struggling with this issue?
There is insufficient information given to women about the real harms of breast implant illness, how it might present, who to go to for a non-conflict-of-interest diagnosis. There is inadequate long term follow-up of women with breast implants. PCPs, Gyns, and oncologists who normally follow women are not educated about breast implant illness and therefore do not connect the dots when women present with breast implant illness symptoms, which are systemic, diverse and debilitating and may come on years after implant placement.
3. What do you want to see changed? How will you know that your issue is improving or has been addressed?
There needs to be a clear understanding of how women with breast implants should be followed in the short and long term to ensure that symptoms of breast implant illness are discovered and timely diagnosis is made by a physician without a conflict of interest. There is so much anecdotal information about breast implant illness but women are dismissed by plastic surgeons who have a conflict of interest, and other doctors simply have no knowledge of this illness. Women are sent to specialists for myriad symptoms just to be told that they do not have a problem when they know that something is very wrong. There is no one who seems to be able to connect the dots to make a timely diagnosis and meanwhile many women are suffering and left to figure out their diagnosis on their own by comparing their symptoms to those documented by other women. Evaluation needs to consider the large amount of anecdotal evidence documented by women since the medical profession has been so deficient and has been impacted by conflicts of interest in this area.
4. When do you need the evidence report?
Tue, 12/31/2024
5. What will you do with the evidence report?
Practice guidelines need to be put in place for PCPs, Gyns and Oncologists to follow women with breast implants in the near and long term so that breast implant illness can be diagnosed in a timely manner by professionals who do not have financial conflicts of interest.
Optional Information About You
What is your role or perspective? Patient/consumer
May we contact you if we have questions about your nomination? Yes
