Background: Nottingham University medical students undergo a two-week rotation in dermatology which incorporates teaching sessions, including didactic lecture presentations, tutorial seminars on skin cancers and acute dermatological conditions and patient simulations. Many studies highlight the need to improve skin of colour teaching in medical school curricula globally, as low representation can negatively affect physician knowledge throughout their career. Methods: Using a pre-post intervention study design, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) teaching materials were adapted by adding clinical images of dermatological conditions in skin of colour to existing teaching sessions (obtained from DermNetNZ). Four new learning objectives were set relating to skin of colour in four common skin conditions in the curriculum: acne, eczema, psoriasis and skin cancer. Teaching materials were added to cover this content, and knowledge acquisition was assessed before and after the dermatology rotation using a pre/post-attachment questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis. Results: Ninety-nine medical students completed pre- and post-dermatology attachment questionnaires. Students’ confidence in recognising skin conditions in patients with skin of colour improved, with 71% reporting confidence ≤ 5/10 pre-attachment and 74.7% reporting confidence > 5/10 post-attachment. The post-attachment questionnaire showed that 97% of students identified increased risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring in acne in skin of colour, 94.9% recognised psoriatic plaques differed in darker skin tones, 100% recognised erythema can be challenging to identify in eczema of darker skin tones, and 97% identified that melanoma is diagnosed later and is associated with poorer survival in patients with skin of colour. Conclusion: Adaptations to the NUH dermatology teaching materials demonstrate the feasibility and educational benefits of incorporating skin of colour content into existing undergraduate dermatology teaching. Data collection is ongoing to increase sample size and assess inclusivity. Results are preliminary and may be limited by methods used to assess knowledge gain and confidence. Keywords: dermatology, inclusivity, skin of colour, medical education, medical students
Gore et al. (Fri,) studied this question.