Teaching Teledermatology: A Simulation Pilot for Health Professional Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Teledermatology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Teledermatology is increasingly important in healthcare delivery.
• Medical and physician assistant students require practical training in teledermatology workflows.
• Existing training methods may not adequately prepare students for virtual patient encounters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a teledermatology simulation for medical and physician assistant students.
• To provide hands-on experience with live videoconferencing and store-and-forward teledermatology.
• To assess learner satisfaction with the developed simulation.

Main Methods:

• A simulation was designed incorporating pre-session reading, a didactic, standardized patient encounters, and faculty debriefs.
• Students participated in simulated teledermatology sessions.
• Faculty observed student performance and administered a post-session learner satisfaction survey.

Main Results:

• Students engaged in various components of the teledermatology simulation.
• Learner satisfaction with the simulation was assessed.
• 88% of students reported that the workshop met or exceeded their expectations, despite some mixed feelings.

Conclusions:

• The developed teledermatology simulation effectively provided practical training for medical and physician assistant students.
• The simulation appears to be a valuable tool for enhancing student preparedness in teledermatology.
• Learner feedback indicates a positive reception and perceived value of the training program.