Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas (Mar 2023)
[Translated article] Analysis of Undergraduate Dermatology Syllabi at Spanish Universities: Does the Weight of Theoretical Content Match the Skin Conditions Seen in Primary Care and General Dermatology Practices?
Abstract
Introduction: Undergraduate dermatology courses vary in the nearly 50 Spanish medical faculties that teach the subject. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of these courses and to analyze whether the weight assigned to dermatology topics reflects the caseloads of primary care physicians and general dermatologists in the Spanish national health system. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study of syllabi used in Spanish medical faculties during the 2021–2022 academic year. We determined the number of teaching hours in public and private university curricula and compared the weight of dermatology topics covered to the dermatology caseloads of primary care physicians and general dermatologists as reported in published studies. Results: Most medical faculties taught dermatology for one semester. The median number of credits offered was 4.5. On average, lectures covered 24 theoretical topics, and seminars and workshops covered 9 topics. We identified a clear disparity between the percentage of time devoted to dermatology topics in course lectures and the skin conditions usually managed in primary care and general dermatology practices. Discussion: The skin diseases most commonly treated by primary care physicians and general dermatologists are underrepresented in the curricula of Spanish medical faculties. The topics that should be given more weight in syllabi, or recovered for inclusion in dermatology courses, should be re-examined. Our findings show that the topics that ideally should be emphasized more are types of dermatitis, infectious skin diseases, acne, psoriasis, rashes, and the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant neoplasms. There should be additional support for the theoretical teaching of these topics. Resumen: Introducción: La docencia de pregrado de Dermatología varía entre las casi 50 facultades de Medicina españolas. El presente estudio pretende describir las características de las asignaturas y analizar si la carga lectiva de los temarios se ajusta a la casuística de los médicos de Atención Primaria y dermatólogos generales del sistema de salud español. Material y método: Estudio de corte transversal realizado en 2021-2022. Se recabaron datos de universidades a partir de las guías docentes. Se comparó la carga docente de una universidad pública y otra privada con la carga asistencial de médicos de familia y dermatólogos a partir de estudios previos. Resultados: La mayor parte de las facultades imparten Dermatología como asignatura semestral, con una mediana de 4,5 créditos, con una media de 24 temas teóricos y 9 temas en seminarios y talleres. Existe una clara divergencia entre la carga docente relativa de los temas teóricos y la carga asistencial por enfermedades cutáneas en Atención Primaria y Dermatología general. Discusión: La carga lectiva infrarrepresenta en gran medida las enfermedades cutáneas más comúnmente consultadas en Atención Primaria y Dermatología general. Resulta oportuno reevaluar qué contenidos deben adquirir o recuperar una mayor representación en la carga docente de la asignatura de Dermatología. Con base en los resultados obtenidos, consideramos óptimo incrementar, idealmente mediante metodologías de apoyo a la docencia teórica, la carga docente referida a cuadros de dermatitis, dermatosis infecciosas, acné, psoriasis, urticaria y, finalmente, las neoplasias benignas y su diagnóstico diferencial con las malignas.
