Epidemiologic Analysis of Chilblains Cohorts Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Beginning in March 2020, case reports and case series linked the COVID-19 pandemic with an increased occurrence of chilblains, but this association has not been evaluated in an epidemiologic study. Objective: To assess whether a correlation exists between COVID-19 incidence and chilblains incidence. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective cohort study was conducted within the Kaiser Permanente Northern California system from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020; health plan members of all ages were included. Exposure: COVID-19 incidence in 207 location-months, representing 23 geographic locations in northern California across 9 months. Main Outcome and Measures: Chilblains incidence was the main outcome. The association of chilblains incidence with COVID-19 incidence across the 207 location-months was measured using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Results: Of 780 patients with chilblains reported during the pandemic, 464 were female (59.5%); mean (SD) age was 36.8 (21.8) years. COVID-19 incidence was correlated with chilblains incidence at 207 location-months (Spearman coefficient 0.18; P = .01). However, only 17 of 456 (3.7%) patients with chilblains tested during the pandemic were positive for SARS-CoV-2, and only 9 of 456 (2.0%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 within 6 weeks of the chilblains diagnosis. Test results of 1 of 97 (1.0%) patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Latinx patients were disproportionately affected by COVID-19 but not by chilblains. Conclusions and Relevance: This cohort study found that in northern California, the incidence of chilblains increased during the pandemic but was correlated weakly with the incidence of COVID-19 across 207 location-months. These findings may have resulted from a causal role of COVID-19, increased care-seeking by patients with chilblains during the pandemic, or changes in behavior during shelter in place.

Generational differences in practice patterns of dermatologists in the United States: implications for workforce planning.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of age and other demographic factors on dermatologists' practice characteristics. DESIGN: Anonymous practice profile survey. PARTICIPANTS: Dermatologist members of the American Academy of Dermatology Association. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Analyzed survey questions included information about legal practice entity, geographic area served, weekly patient care hours, patients seen per hour, and scope of patient care activities. RESULTS: Of 4090 surveys sent, 1425 (35%) were returned. As the age of the cohorts increased, the percentage practicing in solo practices increased (range, 21%-39%), as did the percentage serving urban areas (range, 31%-46%). Measures of physician productivity increased in the older age cohorts; however, age was not a significant factor after controlling for other variables. More patient-hours per week were associated with male sex (P < .001), solo practices (P < .001), and non-urban-based practices (P = .04), whereas a greater number of patients per hour was associated with non-rural-based practices (P = .02) and male sex (P = .03). As the cohorts progressed in age, more time was spent practicing medical dermatology. The number of hours spent practicing cosmetic dermatology peaked in the 41- to 50-year-old cohort (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Practice patterns differ significantly among dermatologists of different ages. As the current cohorts age and new dermatologists emerge from training, changes in scope of practice and generational differences in productivity are likely to cause a contraction in the effective supply of dermatologists, which has important implications for dermatology workforce planning.

Workforce characteristics of mohs surgery fellows.

BACKGROUND: Anecdotal evidence from program directors and Mohs surgeons suggests that Mohs fellowships are becoming increasingly popular and competitive among dermatology trainees. OBJECTIVE: To assess the characteristics and investigate the motivating factors of those pursuing Mohs fellowships. METHODS: Anonymous surveys were distributed to recent dermatology residency graduates taking a board exam review course in years 1999-2002. RESULTS: In 2002, 2001, and 1999, the percentages of recently trained dermatologists pursuing Mohs fellowships were 9.4%, 8.5%, and 8.8%, respectively. There were no significant differences between Mohs fellows and the rest of the recently graduated dermatologists in terms of debt levels, marital status, parenting status, and spousal employment status. The Mohs fellows were slightly more likely to be male than their non-Mohs counterparts. The factor considered the most important by both groups when choosing a job was location. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to discover potential factors that may be playing a role in the increased popularity of Mohs surgery. The number of Mohs surgeons is increasing and is likely to expand over time. It remains to be seen what effect the growth will have on the supply of Mohs surgery and whether it will outpace the increased demand for services.

Gender and parenting significantly affect work hours of recent dermatology program graduates.

BACKGROUND: The increased proportion of female physicians over the last 30 years may have important implications for future physician workforce needs. OBJECTIVE: To assess the roles of gender, marital status, and parenting in employment choices. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Anonymous surveys were distributed to recent dermatology residency graduates taking a board examination review course from 1999 through 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of hours respondents saw patients per week and the number of hours they spent in each field of dermatology per week. RESULTS: There were 191 respondents to the survey in 2002, which represented 54% of the 2002 residency graduates. For clarity, this article focuses on the 2002 results except where trends over time become apparent. Of the respondents, 57% were women and 43% were men. Women saw patients a mean of 26 hours per week while men saw patients a mean of 31 hours (P =.01), although women spent more time practicing medical dermatology. Marital status did not significantly affect the number of work hours. Men and women who were not parents worked almost the same number of hours per week, but male parents saw patients a greater number of hours than female parents (34 vs 24; P<.01). Men who were parents spent more hours per week seeing patients than men who were not. In contrast, women who were parents spent fewer hours seeing patients than women who were not.Conclusion Parenting, in combination with gender, greatly influences workforce choices for professionals with young families while gender alone has little impact on those choices.