Medical education and care in dermatology during the SARS‐CoV2 pandemia: challenges and chances
Markus Reinholz, Lars E. French
Abstract
The first novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) cases occurred in Germany after contact with a Chinese business delegate between 19 and 22 January 2020 near the city of Munich, Bavaria. Since then, numerous additional cases have been reported and the dissemination of the infection does not only pose a major health challenge for the entire population, medical care facilities and the economy, but also for the medical training of future doctors and outpatient care of patients with skin disease. The classical teaching models in the form of lectures, seminars or bedside teachings where ‘social distancing’ is very difficult are no longer safe and applicable in times of the corona virus pandemic. Likewise, classical outpatient care involves face-to-face contact with patients and clustering of patients before the consultation in confined waiting rooms. Modern digital technology for both safe and gapless teaching of students as well as outpatient care offers great potential here. For continued remote teaching of medical students, digital podcasts and blended learning concepts (e.g., Dermatology Online with Interactive Technology: www.cyberderm.net) as well as inverted classroom approaches offer optimal solutions in this time of crisis (Fig. 1).1 The clinical picture diagnosis tool developed at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology of the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital, as well as numerous online cases for study purposes, also offers opportunities to continue medical education in dermatology at a high level without exposing clinic staff, students or patients to unnecessary risks. Digital health services are increasingly gaining acceptance in health care. Our image-centric specialty is particularly well suited for the provision of high-quality online medical services.1 In a recently published study conducted at a time where community infectious risks were minimal,1 over 75% of patients reported interest in using digital healthcare services for medical consultations and electronically transmitted prescriptions, and even 65% of patients indicated willingness to pay for online consultations themselves. Examples of such e-health platforms that provide a safe and efficient alternative for face-to-face outpatient care in increasing parts of Europe include derma2go (www.derma2go.com, www.derma2go.de), OnlineDoctor (www.online doctor.ch, www.onlinedoctor.de), Dermatica (www.dermatica.co.uk) and Healthline (www.healthline.com).2 The above described offers for remote teaching and medical care are immediately accessible at this time at which ‘social distancing’ due to the community threat posed by SARS-CoV-2 is crucial. It is likely, in times of learning on demand and home learning as well as increased demand for rapid and remote dermatological diagnosis and therapy, that even after the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, these available resources will be of great value.