Using teledermatology to prevent and diagnose skin cancer in the rural United States.

ABSTRACT: In the United States, skin cancer is a prevalent and sometimes preventable form of cancer that causes a significant disease burden in rural and urban communities. Studies have shown, however, that rural residents are less likely to engage in primary prevention behaviors against skin cancer, and rural populations have higher skin cancer incidence and mortality than urban residents. Teledermatology can be used to address disparities in both skin cancer diagnosis and health education to improve dermatology outcomes in rural communities. This article reviews teledermatology formats, barriers, and benefits to encourage integration of teledermatology modalities into clinical practice.

Utilizing Supplemental Online Modules for Physician Assistant Student Electrocardiogram Interpretation Training.

PURPOSE: The literature suggests that graduating medical and physician assistant (PA) students lack competency in electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation. This project aimed to determine whether use of perceptual adaptive learning modules (PALMs) would improve PA students' ECG interpretation, alter self-perceptions of their ECG education, or both. METHODS: PALMs were incorporated into the PA curriculum after lecture-based ECG learning. Students' pretest, posttest, and delayed-posttest scores were then compared. Students' ability to correctly interpret ECGs (accuracy) and the percentage of ECGs accurately interpreted within 15 seconds or less (fluency) also were evaluated. Finally, students' perceptions of PALMs and overall ECG training were assessed. RESULTS: PALM training improved ECG interpretation accuracy and fluency (p < .0001), as well as delayed-posttest accuracy and fluency (p < .0001). The majority of student respondents felt supplemental training enhanced their learning. CONCLUSION: These perception results combined with data on ECG interpretation improvement supports continued use of supplemental PALMs in ECG interpretation training.

Longitudinal Integration of Oral Health Training Into Physician Assistant Education.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate physician assistant (PA) student knowledge after integrating an oral health curriculum longitudinally into a PA program and to assess student perceptions of the oral health curriculum. METHODS: This study was a 2-group longitudinal study comparing differences between the groups at 2 points in time. Cohort I (n = 60) took an oral health pretest and then, after completing oral health training, took a posttest. Cohort II (n = 49), which had not received oral health training, took identical testing on the same time interval. The students in Cohort I assessed the value of the oral health curriculum by answering a standardized perception survey. RESULTS: Cohort I had a statistically significant increase (p ≤ .0001) in posttest assessment scores compared to Cohort II (control group). The students who were exposed to the oral health curriculum reported a deeper understanding and appreciation of oral health disease and increased confidence in oral health clinical application. CONCLUSIONS: A greater awareness of the importance of oral health and chronic disease has evolved within PA education over the past 2 decades. Despite this progress, there is still a need to expand this curriculum and improve PA students' depth of knowledge in oral health. This study presents a novel and effective approach to incorporating an oral health curriculum into a PA program.

Evaluating the Use of Supplemental Training Technologies in Dermatology Education.

Physician assistants (PAs) are licensed to evaluate, diagnose, and treat dermatologic skin conditions. Data show that medical students have less than optimal dermatology diagnostic abilities. Although no known data exists for PA students, similar medical school and PA school training methods highlight a need for improved dermatology education in medical and PA programs. This project explored the use of perceptual and adaptive learning modules (PALMs) that target pattern recognition skills with PA students to hopefully improve PA knowledge of dermatology concepts.

Physician Assistant Student Perceptions of "Muddiest Point" Classroom Assessment Technique Implementation.

PURPOSE: To assess student perceptions of the use of the "Muddiest Point" as a type of formative classroom assessment technique (CAT) in a clinical skills laboratory course. METHODS: Physician assistant (PA) students enrolled in a private university were invited to complete a perception survey regarding the use of the Muddiest Point at the conclusion of the course. RESULTS: Survey results showed positive overall student perceptions of the Muddiest Point and desire for broader use of this CAT in other courses. CONCLUSIONS: The Muddiest Point is a CAT that is simple for the instructor to implement and showed overall perceived benefit to the PA student. The Muddiest Point is an effective method to gauge student learning and allows students to be active participants in their education.