Abstract:

Three-quarters of dermatology programs have dermatopathology rotations, but these primarily occur in the last year of residency. Standard teaching with glass slides is limited by available microscopes, inconvenient locations, and new need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several studies have assessed digital platforms and online databases of virtual slides, but live interactive teledermatopathology (TDP) to review skin biopsies performed by trainees has not been evaluated. In this quality improvement study, a pre-intervention assessment of a dermatology residency program found that residents never reviewed the histologic images of biopsies they perform. Our intervention utilizes live-interactive video slide TDP rounds to review skin biopsies performed by dermatology residents in twice-monthly lunchtime conferences led by our dermatopathology fellow. The primary outcome is proportion of cases reviewed by the residents who perform the biopsies compared to the historical control period. We use slide capture software with a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform that integrates chat, video conferencing, and clinical images. Seven months into the intervention, 125 resident biopsies have been performed by 11 residents, and 119 out of the 125 biopsies (95.2%) have been reviewed through this initiative. We report the TDP workflow, participant survey data, and the impact of TDP on trainee education. Overall, TDP rounds represents an effective, easily-implemented educational tool that may be applied in many settings.

Financial Disclosure: No current or relevant financial relationships exist.

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Harrison Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH