JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The ageing of the population and sun exposure behaviors increase the risk of developing skin lesions. The decline in the number of dermatologists is pushing the issue of dermatological screening back onto family doctors. Dermoscopy is an easy-to-use tool whose usage is limited by the lack of training. We created a e-learning based on Moodle to train FD residents in dermoscopy.

Objective:

To evaluate the evolution of dermoscopy knowledge among participants following e-learning training, immediately, 1 then 3 months later.

Methods:

We conducted a prospective interventional study between April and November 2020 to evaluate an educational program intended for family medicine (FM) residents at the University of Montpellier-Nîmes, France. They were proposed to complete an e-learning based course consisting of 2 modules, with an initial quiz repeated at 1 and 3 months.

Results:

134 residents were included: 66.4% and 47% of trainees fully participated in the evaluation of module 1 and Module 2 respectively. Our study showed a significant improvement in grades 3 months after the start of the training course for both modules: 92.1% for module 1 and 87.3% for module 2 (p<0.0001). Participants expressed satisfaction (90.57%) with the training course and 96.23% planned to use a dermatoscope in their future practice.

Conclusions:

The integration of a e-learning training course in dermoscopy into the curriculum of FM residents results in a significant improvement in their diagnosis skills and meets their expectations. Developing a program combining e-learning course and face-to-face training for residents is likely to result in dermoscopy being more fully and efficiently used by family doctors.