Mnemonics for gillies principles of plastic surgery and it importance in residency training programme

 

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Sir,

Department of Plastic Surgery runs 3 years residency training programme (M.Ch) in Plastic Surgery in our institute. During training emphasis is given on memorisation of Gillies Principles of Plastic Surgery, but often residents tend to forget. In their final exit examination, a question on ‘Gillies Principles of Plastic Surgery’ is often asked. All the residents are encouraged to remember these principles through some mnemonics. On literature search (internet), we did not find any mnemonics. We have prepared a mnemonics and sharing through this communication, which may be useful for other residents. The bolded word in mnemonic represents one of the principles. The mnemonics is as follows:

Plastic Surgeon's ‘Observation’, ‘Diagnosis’, ‘Planning’ and ‘Records’ makes his ‘Life’ ‘Stylish’ as he ‘Replaces’, ‘Primary’, ‘Losses’, ‘Positively’, ‘Throws’, ‘Routine Methods’ and ‘Consults’ his peers ‘Speedily’ to ‘Look after’ patient for better ‘Tomorrow’.

The detail description of principles using above mnemonics is as follows:[1]

• Principle No. 1: ‘Observation’ (Observation is the basis of surgical diagnosis)

• Principle No. 2: ‘Diagnosis’ (Diagnose before you treat)

• Principle No. 3: ‘Planning’ (Make a plan and a pattern for this plan)

• Principle No. 4: ‘Records’ (Make a record)

• Principle No. 5: ‘Life’ (The lifeboat)

• Principle No. 6: ‘Stylish’ (A good style will get you through)

• Principle No. 7: ‘Replaces’ (Replace what is normal in normal position and retain it there)

• Principle No. 8: ‘Primary’ (Treat the primary defect first)

• Principle No. 9: ‘Losses’ (Loses must be replaced in kind)

• Principle No. 10: ‘Positively’ (Do something positive)

• Principle No. 11: ‘Throws’ (Never throw anything away)

• Principle No. 12: ‘Routine methods’ (Never let routine methods become your master).

• Principle No. 13: ‘Consult’ (Consult other specialists)

• Principle No. 14: ‘Speedily’ (Speed in surgery consists of not doing the same thing twice)

• Principle No. 15: ‘Look after’ (The aftercare is as important as the planning)

• Principle No. 16: ‘Tomorrow’ (Never do today what can honourably be put off till tomorrow).

Through this article, we would like to share the importance of this mnemonic in residency programme as we found it very easy to remember and apply in clinical practice.

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• Reference

• 1 Gillies H, Millard DR. editors. The Principles and Art of Plastic Surgery. Boston: Little, Brown and Company; 1957: 48-54
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