Achieving comprehensive education in skin of colour (SoC) dermatology remains a challenge in residency programs, with significant disparities in exposure to diverse skin tones across institutions. A new review evaluates the effectiveness of SoC training initiatives for dermatology residents, raising concerns about how well current methods prepare physicians for clinical practice.
A systematic review of studies examining SoC education interventions for dermatology trainees identified five relevant programs involving 237 dermatology residents across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Botswana. The findings highlight a critical issue: while most interventions increased residents’ confidence in diagnosing SoC conditions, this confidence did not always correlate with improved objective knowledge or diagnostic accuracy.
The majority of SoC education initiatives relied on didactic learning, using identical pre- and posttest questions to measure impact. This approach often resulted in higher confidence levels, likely due to recall bias rather than true knowledge retention. Interestingly, multimodal interventions—such as hands-on training or case-based learning—led to lower confidence ratings despite better objective test scores. This suggests that exposure to more complex or varied learning formats may encourage deeper understanding, even if it initially shakes a trainee’s self-assurance.
The study’s authors recommend a shift in how SoC dermatology education is designed. They suggest integrating multimodal teaching methods with both subjective confidence assessments and objective knowledge tests that include varied pre- and post-intervention questions. This approach could provide a more accurate reflection of learning outcomes and ensure dermatology residents are truly prepared to diagnose and manage skin conditions in diverse patient populations.
As efforts to improve SoC dermatology training continue, this review underscores the need for a more nuanced approach—one that goes beyond boosting confidence to ensure real clinical competency.
Reference: Dienes S et al. Skin of Colour Education Initiatives Among Dermatology Residents: A Narrative Review. J Cutan Med Surg. 2025 Feb 25:12034754251322882. [Epub ahead of print].
Anaya Malik | AMJ
