Impact of Skin Biopsy and Clinical-Pathologic Correlation in Dermatology Inpatient Consults

Background While studies of hospital dermatology have demonstrated diagnostic discordance between primary teams and dermatology consultants, little is known about the impact of biopsy and clinical-pathologic correlation (CPC) in consultation. This study compares biopsy performance based on diagnostic discordance and evaluates the impact of CPC on the diagnosis. Methods This was a retrospective review of 376 dermatologic consultations at a single academic medical center between July 1, 2017, and June 27, 2018. Results Biopsy was significantly less likely to be performed when the diagnosis by the referring primary team was unspecified (p < 0.001). In 24 percent of cases, the diagnosis based on histopathology alone differed from the diagnosis reached by formal CPC consensus review with either potential or significant impact on management. Conclusion Dermatologists who perform inpatient consultations and rely on hospital-based pathology services may consider a consensus review for CPC. Requests to perform a biopsy may be interpreted as a request for diagnostic assistance rather than pressure to perform a procedure.