Patterns of Dermatological Diseases in Inpatient Consultations at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: An Underexploited Opportunity for Dermatology Clinical Training

Background Inpatient dermatological care represents an opportunity to improve dermatological care among the population as well as to enhance clinical exposure for residents and medical trainees. Objective We conducted this study to analyze the pattern of dermatological conditions encountered in inpatient settings and the modalities of management at a tertiary care hospital. Method We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed electronic records of all inpatient consultations carried out by the dermatology consultants and specialists between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Demographic and specific and non-specific clinical data were collected and analyzed by dividing the skin disorders and treatments into categories, where relevant. Result Five hundred and seventy-one inpatient dermatological consultations were carried out, involving 453 patients. Older age groups were predominant, including 50-70 years (27.4%) and >70 years (21.0%). The female to male ratio was 1.19. The majority of the consultations (388/571, 68.1%) were requested from the adult medical wards; internal medicine (23.8%), hematology (13.7%), and oncology (9.1%) being the most frequented wards. A biopsy was carried out in 57 (10.0%) of the cases. The most prevalent diagnoses included dermatitis (16.3%), intertrigo (8.1%), and xerosis (6.8%). Besides, 10 cases of skin cancer or metastasis were diagnosed by the dermatologist. The diagnosed skin condition was drug-induced in 57 (10.0%) of the cases, and nine of them were due to chemotherapy. Pharmaceutical treatments consisted of more frequently used corticosteroids (51.5%), antibiotics (36.4%), and antifungal agents (20.8%), with the majority of these by topical route. Conclusion A broad range of dermatological conditions are diagnosed in our inpatient setting, representing a good educational opportunity for trainee dermatologists. The implementation of digital photography could enhance the documentation of dermatological conditions, which would have beneficial effects on both care quality and education.