
==== Front
J Cutan Med Surg
J Cutan Med Surg
CMS
spcms
Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery
1203-4754
1615-7109
SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA

10.1177/12034754241255341
10.1177_12034754241255341
Letter to the Editor
Reader Comment Regarding: Pediatric Dermatology in Canada: A Broad Review of Population Needs, Workforce, and Training With Proposed Solutions
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9829-681X
Tuyp Evert MD, FRCPC 1
1 Department of Dermatology and Skin Science, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Evert Tuyp, Department of Dermatology and Skin Science, The University of British Columbia, 218-3030 Lincoln Avenue, Coquitlam, Vancouver, BC V3B 6B4, Canada. Email: etuyp@shaw.ca
20 5 2024
Jul-Aug 2024
28 4 405406
© The Author(s) 2024
2024
Canadian Dermatology Association
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
typesetterts1
cover-dateJuly/August 2024
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pmcDear Editor,

Pope et al present a welcome discussion on pediatric dermatology in Canada. 1 Their article states that “across Canada, the recommended ratio of dermatologists to population is 1:62,650, but the ratio is only met in Quebec (In Depth Review of Dermatology Training and Practice, September 2019).” There are a few issues with this statement that require clarification and discussion. First, they did not include this citation in their references and so I can only guess that they were referring to “An in-depth review of Dermatology training and practice in Canada” published by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Committee for Specialties and submitted by Mydlarski, Chair of the Specialty Committee in Dermatology, September 2019. 2 The sourcing of this reference is problematic but fortunately a 2-part series was published by members of this group in this same Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery (JCMS).3,4 These articles reviewed a lot of the same topics that Pope’s group discuss. The first article brought up the 1:62,650 ratio also, but more important, it referenced this ratio back to its origins in the Royal College of Physician and Surgeon’s National Specialty Physician Review (NSPR) of 1988. 5 That was a long time ago—before the explosion of cosmetic dermatology (fillers, Botox, lasers, etc). Consequently, the validity of this ratio is very suspicious, a point which was made following the publication of the initial article by Mydlarski in the JCMS in 2019.6,7 Furthermore, the very long wait times to see a dermatologist in Quebec suggest a lack of patient access to dermatologic care and an actual dermatologist shortage as opposed to adequate supply of dermatologists as suggested by data that Quebec meets the recommended NSPR ratio. 8

The arguments regarding this ratio and ancillary issues have been explored already and it is important to attach the relevant references to Pope et al’s article for the benefit of those who have an interest in the dermatology workforce in Canada.

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD: Evert Tuyp https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9829-681X
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References

1. Pope E Lara-Corrales I Rehmus W , et al . Pediatric dermatology in Canada: a broad review of population needs, workforce and training with proposed solutions. J Cutan Med Surg. 2024;27 (6 ):621-627.
2. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. An In-Depth Review of Dermatology Training and Practice in Canada. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; 2019.
3. Mydlarski PR Parsons LM Pierscianowski TA , et al . Dermatologic training and practice in Canada: a historical overview. J Cutan Med Surg. 2019;23 (3 ):307-318.30999785
4. Mydlarski PR Parsons LM Pierscianowski TA , et al . Dermatologic training and practice in Canada: an in-depth review. J Cutan Med Surg. 2020;24 (3 ):297-303.32293201
5. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. National Specialty Physicians Review. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; 1988.
6. Tuyp E . Dermatologic training and practice in Canada: a historical overview—reader comment. J Cutan Med Surg. 2020;24 (1 ):104.31994923
7. Mydlarski PR Parsons LM Pierscianowski TA , et al . Dermatologic Training and Practice in Canada: a historical overview—author response. J Cutan Med Surg. 2020;23 (1 ):105-106.
8. Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients (CAPP). Psoriasis Report: Access to Care and Treatment for Patients in Canada. Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients; 2014. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://www.canadianpsoriasis.ca/images/CAPP_Report_Card_FinalV5.pdf
