Underrepresentation of Dermatologic Conditions in POC

PHM Session: Dermatologic Disease Presentations, Skin Color, and Disparities in Medical Care Presenters: Deawodi Ladzekpo, MD, and Sonya Tang Girdwood, MD, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Ohio Drs. Ladzekpo and Tang Girdwood brought to light disparities in medical care that result from the underrepresentation of dermatologic conditions in patients of color (POC). The topic was introduced with a reference to Lyme disease, in particular the fact that many POC aren’t diagnosed until they have advanced disease compared to white patients. The question was then put forth: Do POC not have symptoms until they are in the later stages? Or rather, does the lack of awareness of the appearance of erythema migrans on the skin of color delay their diagnosis and treatment? The first half of the session revolved around representation in medical education resources. Dr. Ladzekpo referenced several studies that each examined the number of images portraying common dermatologic diagnoses in POC that are used in popular board-study resources, including but not limited to question banks and National Board of Medical Examiners self-assessments. The percentage of images of POC ranged from only about 10-25% across several question banks even though people of color make up about 40% of the U.S. population. Similar statistics were found in studies examining medical textbooks. The session then transitioned to Dr. Tang Girdwood’s discussion on the inaccuracy of visual evaluation of conditions, ...
Source: The Hospitalist - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Adolescent Medicine Dermatology Diagnostic Diversity in Medicine Education Pediatrics Source Type: research