[Implementation of a telementoring model of medical education in psoriasis]

The ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) project is a model of distance medical education. Its mission is to expand knowledge and evaluate the results of this action, both in the training of human resources in healthcare and in the accomplishment of the best medical practices in the community target. It is developed through case presentation videoconferencing, between experts in chronic and complex diseases and physicians, with the aim of reducing the healthcare asymmetries between large urban centers and peripherals areas. We have implemented this telementoring for dermatologists and residents who treat patients with psoriasis. After 10 sessions, a survey was conducted to evaluate the educational attainment of the participants. A significant improvement was found in their abilities to determine the severity of psoriasis, screening for arthritis, assessment of the patient before beginning systemic treatment and appropriate follow-up under different systemic therapies. ECHO replication model helped improve the skills of the participants in the management of this disease, and reduced professional isolation.