Community Outreach by Dermatology Education (CODE)

Oregon is a state of 4 million people, nearly half of whom live in the Portland metropolitan area where access to dermatology services is clustered. Rural residents of the Pacific Northwest region are underserved with respect to timely and sub-specialty focused dermatologic care, and rural dermatology providers currently lack a platform for peer-to-peer consultation and CME opportunities for ongoing professional development.  CODE is a guided practice model that seeks to increase workforce capacity by creating a hub-and-spoke knowledge sharing network with CME opportunities. Dermatology sub-specialists at OHSU will lead multi-point videoconferences to conduct virtual consults with dermatology generalists in the community and present monthly case-based summative didactic reviews.

The goal of this proposal is to create a teleconferencing system by which dermatologists in the Pacific Northwest can connect, share challenging cases, and consult with sub-specialty experts. The CODE project will deliver a weekly case-based live video consultation discussion connecting dermatologists across the region with dermatology sub-specialists at OHSU. In addition, a monthly hour-long review session will review the outcome of previously presented cases along with short didactic presentations highlighting best practice protocols. This project will support rural dermatologists by connecting them to a knowledge sharing network, providing an accessible platform for consultations, delivering a real world relevant CME experience, and increasing professional satisfaction by linking peers and fostering community relationships.