HOSPITAL DERMATOLOGY
Introduction
Inpatient dermatology is emerging as a distinct dermatology subspecialty where dermatologists specialize in caring for patients hospitalized with skin disease. While the main focus of inpatient dermatology is the delivery of top-quality and timely dermatologic care to patients in the hospital setting, the practice of hospital-based dermatology has many additional components that are critical to its success. Factors that must be optimized in one’s inpatient dermatology practice include integration of hospital consultations into one’s current dermatologic practice, interactions with both colleagues of other specialties and allied health professionals, and education and training of medical students, residents, and non-dermatologists. Furthermore, as there is often little available data in the form of randomized controlled trials that can guide dermatologists in the care of the rare conditions encountered in the hospital setting, it is incumbent upon those who do care for these patients to generate the academic work that provides such guidance.
Communication strategies for a successful inpatient dermatology consultative service: a narrative review
A successful inpatient consultative service must address many unique challenges in providing specialty care within the local hospital environment in balance with optimizing health care delivery for that particular consult discipline.
Optimizing education on the inpatient dermatology consultative service
Inpatient dermatology consult services provide a critical formative educational experience for dermatology trainees, in which dermatology students and residents can learn how to triage, evaluate, and manage complex hospitalized patients with skin disease.
Developing academic work and evidence to guide the practice of inpatient dermatology
The ability of dermatology hospitalists to develop academic work and evidence to guide the practice of inpatient dermatology is a key step, individually and collectively, in the maturation of the field.
Dermatology hospitalist fellowships: present and future
With more and more graduating dermatology residents choosing to pursue the route of hospitalist medicine in this rapidly evolving and complex health care environment, how best to structure fellowship training for dermatology hospitalists has become increasingly relevant to our growing subspecialty.