Assessment of dermatologists’ perception of utilizing teledermatology during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: To assess teledermatology )TD( perception among dermatologists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the most common advantages and disadvantages of TD.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional surveybased study to address Saudi dermatologist perceptions of TD from July 2020 to December 2020, during Covid-19 pandemic.Results: Out of 664 emails sent, 107 complete responses were returned. Approximately 40.2% used TD through Original Article phone calls, followed by those who used a virtual clinic )32.7%(. Also, the best way to use TD, according to respondents, was for triage before inpatient and outpatient visits. When we compared the use of TD in the outpatient and inpatient settings, outpatient responses always had more positive attitudes than inpatients. The most important benefit of TD is to reduce the risk of pandemic infections )69%(. More than half of the participants sometimes used TD for diagnosis )n=63, 58.9%( and management )n=59, 55.1%(, and 69 )64.5%( considered using it in the future. Conclusion:Our survey-based study indicates that TD is an important part in the future dermatology because our participants agreed that TD decreases cost, increases access to dermatology care, and reduces the risk of pandemic infections. And it is necessary to establish an infrastructure for TD that protects patient's privacy and ensures accurate diagnosis.

Patients' perceptions of telehealth video visits experience in primary healthcare setting, Saudi Arabia

“…[ 15 ] In another study conducted among dermatologists and dermatological patients, 40.2% of dermatologists used teledermatology, whereas 32.7% utilized a virtual clinic and they concluded that the best benefit of teledermatology was triage of patients before inpatient and outpatient visits, and decrease the risk of infections and almost two-thirds of them (64.5%) will consider using teledermatology in the future. [ 17 ] Abdel Nasser A, et al revealed that approximately half of Saudi patients (52%) were very satisfied with the ease of registration, whereas 43.4% claimed that they had the ability to speak freely over telemedicine. The highest level of satisfaction was observed among almost half of the participants (53.4%) regarding ease registration, 40.1% regarding quality of the visual image, 41.9% regarding the quality of the audio sound, and 44.8% regarding their ability to speak freely over telemedicine.…”

Inpatient Teledermatology: a Review

“…While the promise of IPTD has yet to be fully realized, IPTD with SAFT offers a viable means for ameliorating healthcare access inequities [ 19 ••, 21 ]. Concerns about the diminished efficacy of IPTD relative to face-to-face visits for the diagnosis and management of skin disease are largely unfounded, with several survey studies demonstrating consistent patient and provider satisfaction with outpatient and inpatient teledermatology consultation [ 21 , 22 ].…”

“…Many services considered to be non-essential were either discontinued or adapted to a virtual format, and previously underutilized electronic medical record applications for virtual and electronic visits quickly gained traction with providers [ 23 ]. Some hospitals in the USA as well as internationally (e.g., Singapore, Saudi Arabia) transitioned their dermatology visits to virtual encounters through teledermatology platforms [ 16 ••, 22 , 23 , 24 •, 25 , 26 ]. This switch was largely successful, with one study recognizing that the transition helped preserve scarce personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early months of the pandemic and spurred providers to work more efficiently and collaboratively [ 24 •].…”

“…The ATA recommends HIPAA-compliant information security, sufficient technological specifications, and proper photographic techniques in addition to a thorough patient history for optimal use and results [ 48 ]. In practice, these guidelines have been effective in quality assurance, as surveys of patients, providers, and consulting teledermatologists have revealed consistently high satisfaction with inpatient teledermatology [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Intelligent Teledermatology System: A Case of Implementing Artificial Intelligence-Based Services in Healthcare Supply Chain

“…As mentioned previously, teledermatology has been used for decades, and studies related to teledermatology have also been conducted. Most of the teledermatology studies address the issue of implementing teledermatology in various countries (Almaziad et al, 2021;Chow et al, 2021;Handa et al, 2021). Other studies discuss the implementation of patient and doctor satisfaction levels in providing services, as well as the level of suitability of services compared to conventional services (Eldaly et al, 2022;Marchell et al, 2017;Santiago & Lu, 2023).…”