The need for improved dermoscopy training in residency: a survey of US dermatology residents and program directors

Abstract

BackgroundInadequate dermoscopy training represents a major barrier to proper dermoscopy use.ObjectiveTo better understand the status of dermoscopy training in US residency programs.MethodsA survey was sent to 417 dermatology residents and 118 program directors of dermatology residency programs.ResultsComparing different training times for the same training type, residents with 1–10 hours of dedicated training had similar confidence using dermoscopy in general (p = 1.000) and satisfaction with training (p = .3224) than residents with >10 hours of dedicated training. Comparing similar training times for different training types, residents with 1–10 hours of dedicated training had significantly increased confidence using dermoscopy in general (p = .0105) and satisfaction with training (p = .0066) than residents with 1–10 hours of only bedside training. Lastly, residents with 1–10 hours of dedicated training and >10 hours of dedicated training had significantly increased confidence using dermoscopy in general (p = .0002, p = .2471) and satisfaction with training (p <.0001, p < .0001) than residents with no dermoscopy training at all.ConclusionsDermoscopy training in residency should include formal dermoscopy training that is overseen by the program director and is possibly supplemented by outside dermoscopy training.

Experience of advanced dermatoscopy training under quarantine conditions in the format of an international online course

“…The acquired knowledge on dermatoscopy will contribute to the detection of the early stages malignant skin neoplasms and the usage of this additional diagnostic tool for the differential diagnosis of dermatoses. [5,6,7].…”

“…Під час профілактичних медичних оглядів виявлено 45,2% випадків меланоми [8]. Tromme et al (2012) показали, що цифрова дерматоскопія дозволяє виявити меланому на ранніх її стадіях, з мінімальною глибиою інвазії [10], а також дозволяє уникнути зайвих ексцизійних біопсій, а це, відповідно,покращує якість життя пацієнтів [6,10] Під час проведення міжнародного онлайнкурсу/семінару «Дерматоскопія -Intermedium» наочні матеріали були продемонстровані у достатній кількості, оскільки лектори працюють із сучасним обладнаннямдерматоскопом, що оснащений насадками для фотофіксації новоутворень шкіри та із сиcтемами штучного інтелекту, які, у свою чергу, дозволяють провести повну картографію тіла з автоматичною цифровою обробкою отриманих даних [5]. Таким чином, слухачам були представлені реальні клінічні кейси з дерматоскопії захворювань шкіри з детальним їх обговоренням у динаміці та якісними фотоілюстративними матеріалами [7], а не тільки дані огляду сучасних даних літератури.…”

Using content‐based image retrieval of dermoscopic images for interpretation and education: A pilot study

“…Patient education on skin self‐examination is also effective for improving the rate of early detection of melanoma . Despite significant use of dermoscopy, dermoscopy training is usually time‐consuming, is often limited to dermatologists, and is often not provided for general practitioners . These issues highlight the opportunities for advanced decision support tools to be used as educational means in dermoscopy training for people with different levels of expertise.…”

Reliable test of clinicians’ mastery in skin cancer diagnostics

“…Dermoscopy increases the odds of diagnosing skin lesions correctly by 49% compared to an unaided visual examination [11]. This increased accuracy is, however, only possible when clinicians have obtained a sufficient level of competency in dermoscopy, which requires extensive training [12,13]. Studies from the US, UK, Australia, Austria, and Canada found that 30-86% of residents in dermatology were unsatisfied with their training in dermoscopy and up to 40% felt they lacked confidence in dermoscopy of skin lesions [14][15][16][17][18].…”