Background: The development of procedural skills is necessary for medical students. Computer-based video instruction (CBVI) increases knowledge and procedural skills.
Objective: This pilot study's aim was to investigate the usefulness of CBVI in dermatologic procedure training for medical students and secondarily assess students' overall perception of the field of dermatology.
Methods: Twenty-nine first- and second-year medical students were randomly assigned to the CVBI group or control group, in addition to in-person instructor demonstration of shave and punch biopsies using fresh cadaver tissue. Blinded evaluators graded student performances using a five-point Likert scale immediately after demonstration, and 1 week later to assess knowledge retention.
Results: In overall performance, the CBVI group demonstrated higher scores both in shave (3.54 vs 2.59, p = .01) and punch biopsies (3.63 vs 2.88, p = .01) at immediate recall and knowledge retention (3.68 vs 2.67, p = .01; 4.00 vs 2.99, p < .001, respectively). Approximately 33.3% of the students stated that the experience increased their interest in the field of dermatology.
Conclusion: Incorporation of CBVI into the dermatology curriculum augments medical students' procedural skills. The CBVI group performed significantly better in all 7 grading categories for shave biopsy and in 5 of 7 categories for punch biopsy. Integration of procedural laboratory tests raises students' interest in dermatology.