Background
There are increasing expectations on primary care doctors to shoulder a bigger share of
care for patients with common dermatological problems in the community. This study
examined the learning outcomes of a short postgraduate course in dermatology for
primary care doctors.
Methods
A self-reported questionnaire developed by the research team was sent to the Course
graduates. A retrospective design was adopted to compare their clinical practice
characteristics before and after the Course. Differences in the ratings were analysed
using the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test to evaluate the effectiveness of the
Course in various aspects.
Results
Sixty-nine graduates replied with a response rate of 43.9% (69/161). Most were
confident of diagnosing (91.2%) and managing (88.4%) common dermatological
problems after the Course, compared to 61.8% and 58.0% respectively before the
Course. Most had also modified their approach and increased their attention to patients
with dermatological problems. The number of patients with dermatological problems
seen by the graduates per day showed significant increase after the Course, while the
average percentage of referrals to dermatologists dropped from 31.9% to 23.5%. The
proportion of graduates interested in following up patients with chronic dermatological
problems increased from 60.3% to 77.9%.
Conclusions
Graduates of the Course reported improved confidence, attitudes and skills in treating
common dermatological problems. They also reported to handle more patients with
common dermatological problems in their practice and refer fewer patients.
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