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Teledermatology reduces waiting time, has high patient satisfaction

Teledermatology services reduce waiting times for assessment and diagnosis and provide high patient satisfaction, according to study results published in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers conducted a systematic review of all studies published in English since June 2009 to compare the accuracy of face-to-face dermatology with teledermatology services.

The databases searched were Cochrane, PubMed, Medline, Science Direct, Embase and Web of Science. Search terms included: remote consult, remote consultation, electronic mail, telecommunications, telemedicine, teledermatology, dermatology, store and forward, dermoscopy, teledermoscopy, teledermatoscopy, skin cancer, melanoma and carcinoma.

Among the 21 studies included in the review, the researchers found that the diagnostic accuracy remained higher in face-to-face dermatologic assessments (67%-85% agreement with reference standard, Cohen , 0.9) when compared with teledermatology (51%-85% agreement with reference standard, , 0.41-0.63) for the diagnosis of skin cancer.

Waiting periods, however, were significantly reduced with teledermatology. The studies included compared teledermatology with paper referral (9 days vs. 14 days), teledermatology with face-to-face clinics (9 days vs. 26.5 days) and teledermatology photo triage with conventional referral (36 days vs. 39 days).

In addition, in two of 11 studies there were 55 (100%) consumers who reported satisfaction with the ease of use in submitting their own images (with or without dermoscopy). The consumers also reported a willingness to pay out-of-pocket costs for teledermatology services estimated at an average of 100 Australian dollars.

“The accuracy of [face-to-face] dermatology consultation is generally higher than teledermatology,” the researchers wrote. “However, some studies in this review did report high accuracy of teledermatology diagnoses for skin cancer. Addressing the limitations of previous research will help to determine whether teledermoscopy is a safe and appropriate alternative to in-person assessment, which is particularly important for countries with high rates of skin cancers and geographically dispersed populations, including Australia and the United States.” – by Talitha Bennett

Disclosure : Finnane reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for the other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.