Teaching Non-Dermatologists — The Challenge Revisited

Researchers reviewed 271 consecutive inpatient dermatology consults that were requested over a 16-month period at the University of Iowa. Only 24% of the inpatient cases had been correctly diagnosed by the nondermatologists before referral, and changes in therapy followed the dermatology consult in more than 75% of cases. Common dermatological conditions prompted many referrals, and concordance between the dermatologist and the referring physician for such common disorders was rare: The consulting dermatologist confirmed only 18% of cases referred as dermatitis and only 26% of cases referred as dermatophyte infections.