A Paradigm Shift In Trainee Confidence In Teledermatology And Virtual Working During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Results Of A Follow-Up Uk-Wide Survey

The entire landscape of dermatology service provision has been transformed by the current SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) pandemic, with virtual working having become the new norm across the UK. A pre-pandemic UK-wide survey of dermatology registrars in training demonstrated a huge shortfall in trainee confidence in their teledermatology skills, with only 15% feeling even slightly confident, while 96% of trainees surveyed felt that more teaching in this area was needed. We carried out a follow-up trainee survey during the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed that the sudden thrust into virtual working had achieved dramatic gains in trainee confidence, propelling the percentage of trainees that now felt slightly confident to 58%. However, the shortfall remains, as does the pressing need to incorporate teledermatology into the trainee teaching timetable.