History of Latin American Dermatology

The future of Dermatology in Latin America■ The twenty-first century, a new era of opportunitiesThe twenty-first century, a new era of opportunitiesIn order to attain a better distribution of dermatologists in a certain country, the constitutionof rotating teams to work in areas with no specialists, organized by the medicalcenters of the big cities for periods of one, two, or more months, in distant rural nuclei,could provide employment opportunities and contribute to the solution to the unequal geographicaldistribution of specialists.With the improvement in information technology and in the new computer versions,the image of the old dermatologist with his looking-glass will be gradually replaced bymodern examination and diagnosis technologies, at first at large hospital centers andlater in more distant places 16 . Tele-dermatology will be one of the great challenges ofthe future. The implementation of new technologies will solve the difficulties of the excessivecurrent cost, to the point where it would be more economical to use the methodsof remote video image than traveling large distances to obtain the same service of dermatologicaltreatment. However, it is evident that the success of these programs will dependon the cost and the setting-up of systems, on the availability of the dermatologist’stime, on easy access to the Internet, on the administrative facilities and on the methodsof payment or reimbursement to the specialists for their medical work 17 .Another aspect is that advances in systematization will make the improvement of thedenominations referred to cutaneous diseases indispensable 18 ; Latin America must prepareitself to contribute to this dictionary of dermatological terms and diagnoses, maintainingits historical presence at the international level.In earlier studies, the significant acquisition of know-how and skills by students whoopt for a rotation in Dermatology has been demonstrated, as well as their capacity to retainthe knowledge acquired for several months 19 , which is reinforced with later experience.This is an opportunity for the new doctors of the future, who, just by taking upthis optional course, already have a predisposition to obtain additional dermatologicalknowledge, which suggests that this methodology should be encouraged to improve education.The academic strengthening of graduate programs in Dermatology through thecreation of specialized subfields that offer different options for future dermatologists inLatin America, in tune with the academic and social needs of each country, will also beimportant. ■October 2004447