P061 Digital gamification in skin of colour: a feasibility study

Abstract

Skin of colour remains under-represented in dermatology teaching, despite multiple studies demonstrating clinicians’ lack of confidence recognizing dermatological conditions in darker skin tones (Buster KJ, Stevens EI, Elmets CA. Dermatologic health disparities. Dermatol Clin 2012; 30: 53–9). This study assessed whether a gamified teaching session could improve medical students’ recognition and management of common skin conditions in patients with skin of colour. A 1-h gamified teaching session was rolled out to 6 months of fifth-year medical students at a London teaching hospital at the start of their dermatology placement. A baseline and postsession online survey was distributed to understand perceptions of teaching adequacy and confidence in recognizing common dermatological conditions across skin tones, using Likert scales and free-text questions. In total, 53 students participated. Baseline surveys highlighted that 83% (n = 44) ­disagreed or strongly disagreed that their education adequately covered dermatological conditions in skin of colour, and only 6% (n = 3) felt skin of colour was well represented in teaching materials. Overall, 98% (n = 52) agreed that more teaching and resources are needed. Feedback after the gamified session noted that 98% (n = 52) felt confident recognizing and managing a range of skin diseases in skin of colour, with 100% finding the gamified approach useful for learning. Our results confirm there remain gaps within the medical student curriculum in diagnosing and manage dermatological conditions in skin of colour. Gamification in medical education enhances engagement and decision making without fear of failure (El-Tanahi N, Soliman M, Hady H et al. The effectiveness of gamification in physical education: a systematic review. Int J Educ Math Sci Technol 2023; 11: 297–310), supported by the anonymous Mentimeter platform. Integrating dermatology in skin of colour into undergraduate curricula is essential to improve clinical confidence and patient care. This project was supported by a £200 educational prize from the BAD.