Teledermatology: Simulating Hybrid Workflows for Telemedicine Education

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health
• Healthcare Access

Background:

• Telemedicine is crucial for expanding healthcare access to underserved populations.
• Professional students require practical experience with virtual clinical workflows.
• Existing educational models may not adequately prepare students for telemedicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an educational workshop for training professional students in telemedicine.
• To assess student competency in virtual clinical workflows using standardized metrics.
• To identify challenges and successes in teaching telemedicine skills.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive workshop was designed, including readings, knowledge assessments, lectures (dermatology/teledermatology), and a telemedicine simulation.
• The simulation incorporated a hybrid workflow combining live videoconferencing and store-and-forward image review.
• Student performance was measured against American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Telemedicine Competencies.

Main Results:

• Ninety-eight medical and physician assistant students participated between 2021-2022.
• 80% of students demonstrated entrustment or near-entrustment in the assessed telemedicine competencies.
• Areas for improvement included data collection and technology utilization.

Conclusions:

• The developed workshop provides a practical and generalizable method for educating students in telemedicine.
• This training strengthens students' ability to navigate diverse virtual clinical workflows.
• The program contributes to preparing the future healthcare workforce for telemedicine integration.