Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2018 Jan;35(1):64-69.
doi: 10.1111/pde.13323. Epub 2017 Nov 29.

Online education improves pediatric residents' understanding of atopic dermatitis

Megan F Craddock  1   2 , Heather M Blondin  3 , Molly J Youssef  4   5 , Megha M Tollefson  4   5 , Lauren F Hill, Janice L Hanson  2 , Anna L Bruckner  1   2
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Online education improves pediatric residents' understanding of atopic dermatitis

Megan F Craddock et al. Pediatr Dermatol. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

Background/objectives: Pediatricians manage skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (AD) but report that their dermatologic training is inadequate. Online modules may enhance medical education when sufficient didactic or clinical teaching experiences are lacking. We assessed whether an online module about AD improved pediatric residents' knowledge and changed their clinical management of AD.

Methods: Target and control cohorts of pediatric residents from two institutions were recruited. Target subjects took a 30-question test about AD early in their residency, reviewed the online module, and repeated the test 6 months and 1 year later. The control subjects, who had 1 year of clinical experience but had not reviewed the online module, also took the test. The mean percentage of correct answers was calculated and compared using two-sided, two-sample independent t tests and repeated-measures analysis of variance. For a subset of participants, clinical documentation from AD encounters was reviewed and 13 practice behaviors were compared using the Fisher exact test.

Results: Twenty-five subjects in the target cohort and 29 subjects in the control cohort completed the study. The target cohort improved from 18.0 ± 3.2 to 23.4 ± 3.4 correctly answered questions over 1 year (P < .001). This final value was greater than that of the control cohort (20.7 ± 4.5; P = .01). Meaningful differences in practice behaviors were not seen.

Conclusion: Pediatric residents who reviewed an online module about AD demonstrated statistically significant improvement in disease-specific knowledge over time and had statistically significantly higher scores than controls. Online dermatology education may effectively supplement traditional clinical teaching.

Keywords: atopic dermatitis; dermatology; online education; pediatric residency.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Resident Enrollment and Dropout
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shaw TE, Currie GP, Koudelka CW, Simpson EL. Eczema prevalence in the United States: data from the 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health. J Invest Dermatol. 2011 Jan;131(1):67–73. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eichenfield LF, Tom WL, Chamlin SL, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis: section 1. Diagnosis and assessment of atopic dermatitis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014 Feb;70(2):338–351. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chamlin SL, Frieden IJ, Williams ML, Chren MM. Effects of atopic dermatitis on young American children and their families. Pediatrics. 2004 Sep;114(3):607–611. - PubMed
    1. Chamlin SL, Mattson CL, Frieden IJ, et al. The price of pruritus: sleep disturbance and cosleeping in atopic dermatitis. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159(8):745–750. - PubMed
    1. Slattery MJ, Essex MJ, Paletz EM, et al. Depression, anxiety, and dermatologic quality of life in adolescents with atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Sep;128(3):668–671. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources