Inpatient Dermatology Consultations at a Medical Center

Abstract

To the Editor.— In recent years, there have been several articles in the literature on instructional priorities in dermatology for medical students and physicians in training for primary care careers. 1-3 It has also been observed that the majority of dermatologic complaints are directed to nondermatologists 4 and that primary care physicians may lack the ability to recognize common dermatoses. 5 The dermatology division within the department of medicine was established at the University of Florida, Gainesville, in July 1982, with the appointment of two full-time faculty members. The inpatient consultations at the Shands Teaching Hospital, Gainesville, and the Gainesville Veterans Administration Medical Center during the first year are summarized in the Table. It is notable that approximately 57% of the inpatient dermatologic diagnoses were those of common dermatoses often seen in primary care settings. 4 These same dermatoses may be poorly recognized by primary care physicians. 5 It is