Online dermatology curriculum experiences among US dermatology residents and faculty.

Many dermatology residency programs adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by transitioning to online teaching methods. This may impact the quality of education and the satisfaction of residents. Dermatology faculty and residents nationwide were surveyed regarding their experiences with the novel online curricula. A total of 65 individuals representing at least 20 ACGME-accredited dermatology programs responded. Many programs implemented a predominantly online curriculum (78%). Most participants reported that both clinical dermatology and dermatopathology were online during the pandemic's peak (90%). Among those who had experienced a live curriculum prior to the pandemic, 49% reported that a virtual curriculum had similar effectiveness, whereas 36% deemed it less effective. Open-ended questions suggested that disadvantages of a virtual curricula included too many distractions, lack of human features, and less spontaneous feedback. They also suggested advantages to an online curriculum included flexibility and more opportunities to hear from guest speakers. Dissatisfaction before the curriculum change was the same as after (7%), suggesting that the educational experience was not worsened. Failing to adjust the curriculum to residents' needs can contribute to lower satisfaction and inadequate education. The variation of responses signifies the importance of seeking sufficient feedback from residents to meet their educational needs.

Educational Interventions to Support Primary Care Provider Performance of Diagnostic Skin Cancer Examinations: A Systematic Literature Review.

To our knowledge, there is no available standardized educational curriculum designed to promote the incorporation of skin cancer examinations and procedures into general practice. To explore the contemporary training landscape, we conducted a systematic review of educational interventions designed to support skin cancer diagnostic examinations by primary care providers (PCPs). Our review uniquely encompasses all PCPs, including practicing physicians, residents, and advanced practice practitioners (APPs). The objective of this study is to review and synthesize worldwide data on educational interventions addressing PCP performance of skin cancer diagnostic examinations. A systematic review was performed in MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Scopus for English language articles worldwide published from 2000 onwards. Articles were screened for eligibility, and possibly overlapping datasets were resolved. Data extracted included curriculum content, delivery format, and educational outcomes. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 63 studies were selected for data inclusion with one addressing training for resident physicians, 4 for APPs, and the remainder for practicing physicians. Educational interventions included in this review reflect the pre-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic educational environment: half provided live/synchronous instruction of about 5-h duration on average, and a quarter featured interactive components. Less than a quarter of interventions included practice change as a specific reported outcome. Without sustainable practice change, the anticipated long-term benefits of early cancer detection in patients remain limited. Previous and existing educational interventions designed to support skin cancer detection by PCPs demonstrate heterogeneous curriculum content, delivery methods, and educational outcomes. An ideal intervention would teach consensus-derived clinical competencies, provide meaningful learner feedback, and measure outcomes, such as knowledge/competency, confidence/attitudes, and practice change, using validated instruments.

The State of Melanoma: Emergent Challenges and Opportunities.

Five years ago, the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) conducted an assessment of the challenges and opportunities facing the melanoma research community and patients with melanoma. Since then, remarkable progress has been made on both the basic and clinical research fronts. However, the incidence, recurrence, and death rates for melanoma remain unacceptably high and significant challenges remain. Hence, the MRF Scientific Advisory Council and Breakthrough Consortium, a group that includes clinicians and scientists, reconvened to facilitate intensive discussions on thematic areas essential to melanoma researchers and patients alike, prevention, detection, diagnosis, metastatic dormancy and progression, response and resistance to targeted and immune-based therapy, and the clinical consequences of COVID-19 for patients with melanoma and providers. These extensive discussions helped to crystalize our understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the broader melanoma community today. In this report, we discuss the progress made since the last MRF assessment, comment on what remains to be overcome, and offer recommendations for the best path forward.