Abstract:

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of non-traditional or virtual teaching methods, including social media platforms like Instagram, has increased. Although prior studies have evaluated the effectiveness of virtual microscopy compared to traditional glass microscopy in dermatopathology education, the value of Instagram as a dermatopathology teaching and learning tool is largely unexplored. Moreover, the use of non-traditional educational resources like Instagram within dermatology residency curriculums has never been studied. This study sought to compare dermatology residents' performance in dermatopathology through two avenues of learning (whole slide digital images and Instagram-based static images) and assess resident perceptions of Instagram-based dermatopathology instruction. Using survey data and a 42-item Canvas multiple-choice question assessment incorporating a 50:50 blend of Canvas-based whole slide images (WSI) and Instagram-based static images (ISI), baseline levels of resident performance and confidence in dermatopathology were established. After, residents were randomly assigned to a dermatopathology course presented exclusively through Canvas using WSI or Instagram using ISI. Following a 6-week period of learning in their respective courses, residents repeated the survey and 42-item assessment. Results illustrate that dermatology residents assigned to the Instagram-based course demonstrated increased performance and confidence in dermatopathology compared to those assigned to the Canvas-based WSI course (p < .05). Residents in both courses demonstrated improved confidence using social media for dermatopathology learning and had positive perceptions of self-directed social media-based instruction. Thus, results support the utility of Instagram as a dermatopathology educational tool. Novel conceptual frameworks to utilize Instagram as a tool in graduate medical education are discussed.

Financial Disclosure:
No current or relevant financial relationships exist.

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Ali Malik, MD