The experiences of primary care physicians on dermatological disorders and their opinion of undergraduate education

Abstract

Background and Design: Most patients with dermatological complaints first present to their general practitioners. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the experiences of primary care physicians on dermatological diseases and their opinions of undergraduate education. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire composed of 15 questions was prepared and was completed by practitioners working in family and community health centers. Results: We included 124 out of 142 practitioners working in family and community health centers in Denizli. Sixty-five practitioners responded the questionnaire. It was recorded that health screening in schools and/or public education were performed as preventive dermatology in 42.8% of the institutions that the practitioners were working in. The most frequent diseases encountered were eczema (37.1%), mycosis (22.7%), urticaria (10.3%), acne (7.2%) and psoriasis (6.9%), respectively. It was determined that practitioners were in need of dermatoscopy among the procedures that are not used routinely by practitioners and in need of education for potassium hydroxide and Wood lamp examination among the procedures that can be used by practitioners easily. It was found that the average dermatology training period for general practitioners was 3.5±2 weeks and most practitioners stated that this duration was insufficient. On-the-job training (median score 8.5), giving place to primary care institutions during education period (median score 8.1), giving place to dermatology during internship (median score 7.8) and case discussions (median score 7.8) were the education facilities that were reported to contribute mostly to postgraduate practical approach. Conclusion: The present study establishes very important data about practitioners' approach to patients with dermatological complaints. Practitioners' opinions of undergraduate education are also of importance because the suggestions were made according to postgraduate experiences.