The Impact of Suspension of Dermatology On-Call Services.

Background: Dermatological conditions are commonly seen in the emergency department and inpatient wards. The ability to access dermatology on-call services improves the accuracy of diagnosis and management of common and sometimes life-threatening conditions. Limitations of dermatologist availability led to the suspension of the dermatology on-call service for 3 months in Ottawa, Canada.

Objectives: Our objective was to assess the impact of this call suspension on patient care and the need for a dermatology on-call service at our hospital, as perceived by nondermatologist physicians at our center.

Methods: A survey was sent to all departments at The Ottawa Hospital, addressed to staff physicians and residents. Participation was entirely voluntary. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey responses.

Results: A total of 105 physicians completed the survey including staff physicians (85%) and resident trainees (15%). The most represented specialties were emergency medicine ( = 21), general internal medicine ( = 19), nephrology ( = 17), neurology ( = 13), and plastic surgery ( = 13). Over half of the respondents felt that the lack of dermatology on-call service impacted the care of their patients by a moderate or great extent. Over half reported performing dermatology-related clinical work during the call suspension and two-thirds of these individuals reported feeling uncomfortable or very uncomfortable doing so. Most (94%) participants felt that an on-call dermatology service was useful and 57% deemed it essential.

Conclusion: Our survey results demonstrate a significant impact of the suspension of a dermatology on-call service, as perceived by nondermatologist physicians. Hospitals need to recognize the importance of on-call dermatology consultations and provide support for divisions to enable this service to continue.