Ways to Improve Patient Experience with Surgery in Dermatology, With Michelle Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH

Patient experiences with dermatology practices and, especially, with surgery often require clear communication as well as gentle guidance by clinicians seeking to improve patient satisfaction.1,2

Michelle Bichchau Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH, associate professor of dermatology at Tufts University School of Medicine and director of Mohs Micrographic Surgery, addressed this topic in her session presented at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in Denver. She was asked by HCPLive to speak on some of her tips for patient satisfaction improvements.

“[What] patient care even more than that is how they are treated before, during and after the visit,” Nguyen explained.

Nguyen's core message suggested surgical outcomes, while essential, are not necessarily what patients will remember the most. What matters more to them, she pointed out, is how they are treated at every stage of the encounter, suggesting the need for clear, step-by-step explanations of what a procedure involves.

Throughout her interview, Nguyen also made a strong case for the underappreciated role of staff in shaping the surgical experience. She noted the considerably increased time staff spend with patients compared to the time patients spend with physicians. She described empowering them to educate, comfort, and answer questions independently as a direct investment in the satisfaction of patients.

Nguyen was asked for a single distilled pearl from her talk for newer clinicians and she pointed to one piece of advice: ask and listen. Rather than leading with only information, Nguyen encouraged dermatology clinicians to first figure out what a patient is actually concerned about, then address those specific concerns rather than defaulting to a standard script.

For any additional information on these tips, view the full interview segment posted above. To learn more about sessions and new data presented at AAD, view the latest coverage.

Nguyen had no relevant financial disclosures of note.

References

1. Queen D, Trager MH, Samie FH, et al. Patient Satisfaction of General Dermatology Providers: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of 38,008 Online Reviews. JID Innov. 2021 Aug 19;1(4):100049. doi: 10.1016/j.xjidi.2021.100049. PMID: 34909746; PMCID: PMC8659734.

2. Gahona M, Prada SA, Chaparro D. Patient satisfaction as a quality indicator in dermatological care: cross-sectional study in two tertiary institutions with residency programs. An Bras Dermatol. 2025 Nov-Dec;100(6):501228. doi: 10.1016/j.abd.2025.501228. Epub 2025 Nov 3. PMID: 41187473; PMCID: PMC12634491.