Asynchronous Teledermatology Assessment of Young Adult Acne Likely Concordant With In-Person Evaluation

Review of Telemedicine for Management of Acne Patients

“…For acne diagnosis, one of the studies included in the review found strong diagnostic concordance between inperson and digital diagnosis of acne severity (Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0.96), suggesting that acne severity can be accurately assessed with telemedicine visits. 10 In support of this finding, several published studies found that in adult dermatology patients, there was high diagnostic concordance between in-person and teledermatology visits. [13][14][15] One study from 2008 looking at diagnostic concordance between in-person, store-and-forward telemedicine, and live interactive telemedicine visits demonstrated that although more identical diagnoses were given for in-person and live interactive visits than for in-person and store-and-forward visits (80%, 73%), this difference was not significant (P = .13).…”

“…In an observational prospective study, the diagnostic concordance of acne diagnosis with telemedicine vs. in-person visits ( n = 14) was assessed. 10 There was a strong concordance between in-person and digital diagnosis of acne severity grading using patient-taken smartphone images (Spearman’s correlation coefficient of 0.96). 10…”

“…10 There was a strong concordance between in-person and digital diagnosis of acne severity grading using patient-taken smartphone images (Spearman’s correlation coefficient of 0.96). 10…”

“…Four studies examined use of telemedicine for acne management during the COVID-19 pandemic (Supplemental Table 2). 7 -10…”

“…Four studies examined use of telemedicine for acne management during the COVID-19 pandemic (Supplemental Table 2). [7][8][9][10] A retrospective chart review studying characteristics of acne visits (n = 505) during the pandemic while in-person restrictions were in place reported that 95% of the visits were conducted by telemedicine. 7 Overall, topical medications were more frequently prescribed (72.5%) compared to systemic medications (27.5%).…”