33929 Predominant dermatologic issues in Hispanic patients at student-run free clinic

Abstract

In the city of San Antonio, TX, 64.2% of the population is Hispanic with 38.8% speaking Spanish. Despite this prevalent Hispanic population, only about 4.2% of dermatologists in the United States are Hispanic. The imbalance between the number of Hispanic patients versus physicians has led to growing concerns whether Spanish-speaking patients are receiving proper medical care. Travis Park Dermatology Clinic is a student-run free clinic in San Antonio, TX that provides free dermatologic care to underserved communities. This project aims to identify the most common skin diseases seen in the Spanish-speaking patient population at Travis Park. From April 2019 to August 2021, 243 patient records were reviewed through Travis Park’s RedCap EMR system, and 43 patients were identified as Spanish-speaking only. The diagnosis for each patient was categorized into 7 groups: benign, inflammatory, hyperpigmentation, psoriasis, infectious, allergic, and hair. The categories were then analyzed and compared with identify the most frequent types of dermatologic conditions. The 43 patients yielded 44 diagnoses which were categorized as follows: 17 were benign, 7 were inflammatory, 5 caused hyperpigmentation, 5 were psoriasis, 4 were allergic in origin, 4 were infectious, and 2 were hair related. Of the 7 dermatologic categories, benign skin conditions were the most prevalent within the Hispanic population. This information may be useful as it allows providers to anticipate future patient interactions and how to counsel them optimally regarding their condition.