The effect of a dermoscopy training program on the diagnostic accuracy and management decisions regarding pigmented skin lesions: A comparison between dermal clinicians and general practitioners.

BACKGROUND:Dermoscopy is known to increase the diagnostic accuracy of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) when used by trained professionals. The effect of dermoscopy training on the diagnostic ability of dermal clinicians has not been studied so far. OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to investigate whether dermal clinicians (DCs) in comparison to general practitioners (GPs) benefitted from a training program including dermoscopy, in both their ability to differentiate between different forms of PSLs and to assign the correct therapeutic strategy. METHODS:In total, 24 DCs and 96 GPs attended a training program about PSLs. The diagnostic skills as well as the therapeutic strategy were assessed, prior to the training (pre-test) and then after the training (post-test) using clinical images only, as well as after the addition of dermoscopic images (integrated post-test). Bayesian hypothesis testing was used to determine the statistical significance. RESULTS:Both the DCs as well as the GPs benefitted from the training with the median proportion correctly diagnosed PSLs, 73% GPs and 63% DCs, at the integrated post-test. A statistically significant difference between the pre-test results and the integrated test results was seen with a Bayes factor larger than 100. With 12 percentage points higher, the GPs outperformed the DCs in the accuracy of detecting the PSLs. CONCLUSIONS:The study shows that a training program focussing on PSLs positively impacts the detection of PSLs by DCs and GPs. This training program could form an integral part in the training of DCs in screening procedures, although additional research is needed.