Visual Learning Equity Initiative Enhances Preclinical Dermatologic Image Representation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Dermatology
• Health Equity

Background:

• Medical conditions manifest differently across diverse skin tones.
• Current medical education curricula often lack sufficient visual representation of conditions in darker skin tones.
• This disparity can lead to diagnostic delays and perpetuate health inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the representation of skin tones in preclinical medical images at Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM).
• To evaluate the impact of a student-led initiative aimed at achieving visual learning equity (VLE).

Main Methods:

• Quantitative analysis of 1050 preclinical images from GUSOM.
• Categorization of images based on skin tone (light/white, medium/brown, dark/black) and condition type.
• Comparison of image representation before and after a student-led VLE initiative.

Main Results:

• Preclinical images predominantly featured lighter skin tones (58.2%), with medium/brown at 31.3% and dark/black at 10.5%.
• Infectious diseases were more frequently depicted in darker skin tones when presented first.
• A significant increase in darker skin tone representation was observed in the 2022 Infectious Disease course compared to 2020 (P<.001).

Conclusions:

• The GUSOM preclinical curriculum underrepresents conditions in darker skin tones.
• Student-led initiatives can effectively enhance the representation of darker skin tones in medical education materials.
• Improving visual learning equity is crucial for addressing diagnostic disparities and promoting health equity.