key: cord-0840535-gh7urqqi
authors: Linggonegoro, Danny; Rrapi, Renajd; Ashrafzadeh, Sepideh; McCormack, Lindsay; Bartenstein, Diana; Hazen, TJ; Kempf, Abigail; Kim, Eun Jae; Moore, Kevin; Sanchez‐Flores, Xavier; Song, Hannah; Huang, Jennifer T.; Hussain, Sadaf
title: Continuing patient care to underserved communities and medical education during the COVID‐19 pandemic through a teledermatology student‐run clinic
date: 2021-06-07
journal: Pediatr Dermatol
DOI: 10.1111/pde.14653
sha: 029faa4c84ab1913be0dcc80bd0e3e8c5c06b976
doc_id: 840535
cord_uid: gh7urqqi

A virtual pediatric dermatology student‐run clinic was initiated during the COVID‐19 pandemic, when in‐person educational opportunities were limited. The clinic's aim is to provide high‐quality dermatologic care to a diverse, underserved pediatric patient population while teaching trainees how to diagnose and manage common skin conditions. In our initial eight sessions, we served 37 patients, predominantly those with skin of color, and had a low no‐show rate of 9.8%. This report describes the general structure of the clinic, goals, and the patient population to provide an overview of our educational model for those interested in similar efforts.

our initial eight sessions, we served 37 patients, predominantly those with skin of color, and had a low no-show rate of 9.8%. This report describes the general structure of the clinic, goals, and the patient population to provide an overview of our educational model for those interested in similar efforts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we created a pediatric dermatology student-run clinic. Our team had planned to launch an inperson student-run clinic in July 2020 with the dual objectives of providing dermatologic care to underserved children and introducing medical students to pediatric dermatology. However, due to the pandemic, institutions nationwide dramatically reduced in-person outpatient dermatology office visits and consequently, educational opportunities for medical trainees. 1, 2 The pandemic has also widened socioeconomic disparities and health care inequities. 3 Although teledermatology, in some cases and conditions, may be inferior to in-person evaluation, 4 There are also clinic slots reserved for Spanish-speaking patients, and all patients are asked if an interpreter is needed. Before clinic begins, there is dermatology teaching led by a resident, followed by a relevant Spanish lesson. After teaching, there are three parallel clinic sessions using a hospital-approved virtual platform that provides real-time interactive services. Over eight months, our student clinic has served 37 patients and managed 23 unique dermatologic conditions (Table 1 ). There was a 9.8% (n = 4/41) no-show rate, compared to 30% in our internal dermatology department during this period.

There is a paucity of literature describing student-run teledermatology clinics and best practices, and we have continually reflected on how to improve our clinic. One strategy that we believe has contributed to our very low no-show rate-particularly for patients with language barriers-is having students call patients the day before clinic to confirm their appointment and answer any questions. Through frequent communication by medical students before, during, and after the clinic visit, this virtual model increases individualized attention to patients and may improve access to care. In turn, our diverse population serves as an enriching educational experience for medical students and residents for treating skin of color.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, service and clinical learning opportunities have become limited. Our virtual student-run dermatology clinic has provided a feasible way to care for underserved patients and provide early exposure for medical students to pediatric dermatology. More research is required to evaluate patient and student experiences with this clinic. Future plans include incorporation of in-person visits and educational outreach to surrounding communities. We hope to disseminate our model and welcome inquiries from centers interested in serving this population and augmenting learning opportunities for medical trainees. 

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