Inter-institutional Analysis of Skin of Color Representation in Dermatological Lecture Content at MD and DO Medical...

The purpose of this study was to analyze the lecture materials provided in medical schools through a diversity lens. Skin pathologies manifest distinctively on various shades of skin and physicians must be equipped with the proper knowledge to identify and diagnose these conditions accurately and promptly. For most medical students, images in prominent textbooks and lecture slides are their first encounter with disease presentations. Therefore, it is important to analyze the diversity of skin tones in the content that is being delivered. Specifically, the use of images featuring darker skin tones compared to those depicting lighter skin tones.

This study analyzed lecture materials from two allopathic and two osteopathic medical schools. The analysis was limited to lectures given during the Skin/MSK block or dermatology block. The skin pathologies were organized into five categories: Inflammatory Disorders, Infectious Skin Disorders, Pigmented Disorders, Non-Pigmented Disorders, and Blistering Disorders. Images were classified as dark skin tones, light skin tones, and indeterminate based on the Fitzpatrick Scale.

The results showed that of the 560 images analyzed: 96 images, or 17.14%, were representative of dark skin tones, 78.04% were representative of light skin tones, and 4.82% were classified as indeterminate.

A potential outcome of this study involves bolstering medical education in the United States by exposing medical students to a more diverse set of exemplary images during their didactic education. In doing so, medical students will be better prepared to provide high quality healthcare to all patients regardless of ethnicity.