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Fliorent R, Mistry S, Javaid K, Milani K. Skin of Color Is Underrepresented on Instagram: Assessing South Jersey Skin Talk as an Educational Tool to Increase Awareness. Cureus 2023; 15:e47388. [PMID: 38022218 PMCID: PMC10657636 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.47388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Instagram, a widely used social media platform with over two billion active users, has the potential to propagate dermatologic health information within the public sphere. However, there is a lack of representation of people of color (POC), making it crucial to share accurate and inclusive posts to increase awareness about dermatologic conditions. It is also necessary to address the misconceptions about skin diseases and other hereditary conditions within various ethnic groups. To combat this, a group of medical students created South Jersey Skin Talk (SJST), an initiative aimed to improve dermatologic health literacy in skin-of-color communities, particularly in underserved areas like Camden County, NJ. Using reliable sources to prevent the spread of misinformation, SJST's accessible Instagram page explains skin conditions, especially emphasizing appearances and manifestations in POC. The hypothesis being investigated by this group is that the implementation of SJST as a community intervention is expected to improve dermatologic health literacy in POC. Methods A 13-question survey was conducted via Qualtrics (Seattle, Washington) and was distributed on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, TikTok, and GroupMe). It remained open for eight weeks during which users 18 years or older were invited to participate. The survey was divided into four sections: demographics, Instagram usage, knowledge of dermatology, and inclusion and diversity on SJST's page. A total of 184 total responses were collected, which were compared using chi-squared analyses on Qualtrics software. Results POC felt less represented on social media compared to White respondents prior to visiting SJST on Instagram (p < 0.00001). However, after viewing SJST, 87.5% of White participants and 88% of POC reported feeling represented on the page. Additionally, both groups of respondents indicated that they felt more knowledgeable about their primary skin concern after viewing the SJST's posts. Furthermore, 86.8% of POC reported that they would feel more confident participating in a conversation with their dermatologist regarding their primary dermatologic concern. Conclusion SJST is a community outreach organization focused on improving health literacy for POC and bridging the gap in healthcare disparities between White and POC populations. The results from this survey confirm the hypothesis and illustrate that community interventions targeted at education for POC increase health literacy and patient autonomy. These results also show that there is a need for more representation and diversity in medical dermatology on social media. Further studies should be done to investigate other disparities affecting adequate representation for POC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Fliorent
- Molecular Biology, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, USA
| | - Sonam Mistry
- Molecular Biology, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, USA
| | - Kiran Javaid
- Molecular Biology, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, USA
| | - Katharine Milani
- Molecular Biology, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, USA
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Jacobs S, Brar K, Nowak-Wegrzyn A, Louisias M. Why You Should Care About Implicit Bias as an Allergist-Immunologist and Ways We Can Address It. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. IN PRACTICE 2023; 11:1718-1724. [PMID: 36972799 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Jacobs
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Kanwaljit Brar
- Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital, New York, NY
| | - Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn
- Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital, New York, NY; Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Margee Louisias
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
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Kluger N, Mahé A. Diagnostic overshadowing and other cognitive bias in patients with skin of color in Finland. Ann Dermatol Venereol 2023; 150:140-142. [PMID: 36424299 DOI: 10.1016/j.annder.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N Kluger
- Department of Dermatology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Meilahentie 2, 00250, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - A Mahé
- Department of Dermatology, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France
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4
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Ogunleye TA. Unconscious Bias. Dermatol Clin 2023; 41:285-290. [PMID: 36933917 DOI: 10.1016/j.det.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Unconscious biases (also known as implicit biases) are involuntary stereotypes or attitudes held about certain groups of people that may influence our behaviors, understandings, and actions, often with unintended detrimental consequences. Implicit bias appears in multiple facets of medical education, training, and promotion with negative effects on diversity and equity efforts. Notable health disparities exist among minority groups in the United States, which may partly be attributable to unconscious biases. Although there is little evidence supporting the effectiveness of current bias/diversity training programming, standardization and blinding may be helpful, evidence-based methods to reduce implicit bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Temitayo A Ogunleye
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3737 Market Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Maghfour J, Liu V, Parks-Miller A, Hamzavi IH. Evaluating the Impact of Exclusion Criteria on the Generalizability of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Treatment Research. JID INNOVATIONS 2023; 3:100192. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xjidi.2023.100192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
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Yesudian RI, Yesudian PD. A new model for categorizing cognitive biases and debiasing strategies in dermatology. Int J Dermatol 2023; 62:137-142. [PMID: 35802380 DOI: 10.1111/ijd.16348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive biases are a significant cause of medical error. They arise from "system 1" thinking, which depends on heuristics to make quick decisions in complex situations. Heuristics make us "predictably irrational," distorting our ability to accurately assess probabilities in clinical scenarios. It is well reported in the literature that metacognition, the art of reflecting on one's thought processes, is the optimal way to deal with cognitive biases. However, it is unclear how this can be consistently implemented in dermatological practice. Our debiasing attempts thus far have been sporadic at best. This article categorizes important cognitive biases according to each stage of the doctor-patient interaction (history taking, clinical examination, investigations, diagnosis, and management). We hope that providing this clinically relevant framework can foster metacognition and a platform for algorithmic debiasing. This will enable us to engage "system 2" (analytical thinking) in a targeted way, thereby avoiding excessive cognitive load. Organization-level interventions should also be implemented to free up the cognitive capacity of an individual and to enable them to employ system 2 thinking more regularly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul D Yesudian
- Department of Dermatology, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK
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Woodruff CM, Kaur G, Botto N. Racial disparities in access to patch testing - a cross-sectional study. Br J Dermatol 2022; 187:784-785. [PMID: 35622450 DOI: 10.1111/bjd.21680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carina M Woodruff
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Gurbani Kaur
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Nina Botto
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
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Wilson BN, Alexis A, Murase JE. Art of prevention: Atopic dermatitis in women and families of color-prevalence, recognition, and prevention. Int J Womens Dermatol 2022; 8:e014. [PMID: 35620034 PMCID: PMC9112389 DOI: 10.1097/jw9.0000000000000014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin conditions encountered by dermatologists. Skin of color (SOC) patients, in particular, are 50% more likely to visit a dermatologist for AD than non-SOC patients. While the misdiagnosis of AD in SOC patients is rare, the misinterpretation of severity or undertreatment of disease experienced by this patient population is a common occurrence. Herein, we present this Art of Prevention piece focused on the epidemiology, presentation, treatment, and management of AD in skin of color patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britney N. Wilson
- School of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey
| | - Andrew Alexis
- Department of Dermatology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Jenny E. Murase
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Department of Dermatology, Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, Mountain View, California
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Okeke CAV, Malik AM, Atwater AR, Powell DL, Czajkowski G, Castanedo-Tardan MP, Montanez-Wiscovich M, Wu PA. American Contact Dermatitis Society Position Statement: Dermatitis and Skin of Color. Dermatitis 2022; 33:3-9. [PMID: 35029346 DOI: 10.1097/der.0000000000000840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali M Malik
- University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville
| | | | | | - Ginger Czajkowski
- Executive Director Incorporated, The American Contact Dermatitis Society, Milwaukee, WI
| | | | | | - Peggy A Wu
- Department of Dermatology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
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Murase JE, Murrell DF. Heralding change within dermatology: Response of the International Journal of Women's Dermatology (IJWD) to the twin pandemic of racism. Int J Womens Dermatol 2021; 7:125-126. [PMID: 33937475 PMCID: PMC8072453 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny E Murase
- Dept of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Dept of Dermatology, Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, Mountain View, CA, USA
| | - Dedee F Murrell
- Dept of Dermatology, St George Hospital, UNSW Faculty of Medicine, Sydney, Australia
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