Teledermatology Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pasquali, Paola; Romero-Aguilera, G.; Moreno‐Ramírez, D.

doi:10.1016/j.adengl.2021.01.040

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Studies of teledermatology during the pandemic have been cross-sectional and quantitative, citing benefits such as supporting social distancing while highlighting barriers, including poor-quality images and misdiagnoses. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 Although useful, such studies are unable to uncover factors not preidentified by clinicians, providing an incomplete understanding of the phenomenon. Findings such as increased satisfaction among those with mild disease and increased acceptance among healthier patients have also not been fully explained.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing use and perceptions of teledermatology: A mixed-methods study of 942 participants

et al. 2022

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Background The protracted COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for a sustainable telemedicine practice. Objective To understand patient perceptions toward teledermatology. Methods Convergent parallel mixed-methods study of 942 dermatology patients or their caregivers between June 2020 and April 2021. Results Multivariate regression found that youth, increased computer use, willingness to show body areas over photo/video, perceived quality of teledermatology, demand for social distancing and to reduce commute were associated with willingness to use teledermatology. The willingness to use teledermatology declined with the easing of COVID-19 movement restrictions, and 48.5% reported a poorer experience with teledermatology than with in-person consultations. Qualitative data from 26 interviews showed that willingness to use is influenced by pragmatic considerations, emotional factors, and data privacy concerns. These were moderated by the patient's perception of disease severity and need for an accurate diagnosis. Limitations Lack of data prior to the pandemic and during the initial lockdown period. Conclusion The willingness to use teledermatology is influenced by circumstantial factors, technology literacy, views toward teledermatology, and factors driving the purpose of consultation. The declining willingness to use teledermatology with the easing pandemic, lower willingness to pay full in-clinic prices, and poorer experience compared with in-person consultations highlights the need to optimize this mode of delivery.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing use and perceptions of teledermatology: A mixed-methods study of 942 participants

et al. 2022

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“…It was then extended for use in research as well as for educational purposes. Teledermatology can be used in the diagnosis and monitoring of different skin diseases 2,3 . It can be used to support all stages of the patient journey, ranging from self‐care and community management to triage to the correct hospital service, tertiary care and long‐term monitoring and follow up.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of life measurement in teledermatology. Position statement of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Task Forces on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes and Teledermatology

Chernyshov,

Finlay,

Tomas‐Aragones

et al. 2023

Acad Dermatol Venereol

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Many events, including the COVID‐19 pandemic, have accelerated the implementation of teledermatology pathways within dermatology departments and across healthcare organizations. Quality of Life (QoL) assessment in dermatology is also a rapidly developing field with a gradual shift from theory to practice. The purpose of this paper organized jointly by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Force (TF) on QoL and patient‐oriented outcomes and the EADV TF on teledermatology is to present current knowledge about QoL assessment during the use of teledermatology approaches, including data on health‐related (HR) QoL instruments used in teledermatology, comparison of influence of different treatment methods on HRQoL after face‐to‐face and teledermatology consultations and to make practical recommendations concerning the assessment of QoL in teledermatology. The EADV TFs made the following position statements: HRQoL assessment may be an important part in most of teledermatology activities; HRQoL assessment may be easily and effectively performed during teledermatology consultations. It is especially important to monitor HRQoL of patients with chronic skin diseases during lockdowns or in areas where it is difficult to reach a hospital for face‐to‐face consultation; regular assessment of HRQoL of patients with skin diseases during teledermatology consultations may help to monitor therapy efficacy and visualize individual patient's needs; we recommend the use of the DLQI in teledermatology, including the use of the DLQI app which is available in seven languages; it is important to develop apps for dermatology‐specific HRQoL instruments for use in children (for example the CDLQI and InToDermQoL) and for disease‐specific instruments.

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“…In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic drove telemedicine to the forefront of health care [1,2]; dermatology care was no exception. Prepandemic teledermatology had gained popularity in some specific use cases [3,4]; however, the pandemic gave rise to new policies that overcame previous restrictions to ensure continued access to care, facilitating a rapid pivot to telemedicine for outpatients, including patients transitioning from inpatient care [5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teledermatology to Facilitate Patient Care Transitions From Inpatient to Outpatient Dermatology: Mixed Methods Evaluation

Kling¹,

Saliba‐Gustafsson²,

Winget³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background Both clinicians and patients have increasingly turned to telemedicine to improve care access, even in physical examination–dependent specialties such as dermatology. However, little is known about whether teledermatology supports effective and timely transitions from inpatient to outpatient care, which is a common care coordination gap. Objective Using mixed methods, this study sought to retrospectively evaluate how teledermatology affected clinic capacity, scheduling efficiency, and timeliness of follow-up care for patients transitioning from inpatient to outpatient dermatology care. Methods Patient-level encounter scheduling data were used to compare the number and proportion of patients who were scheduled and received in-clinic or video dermatology follow-ups within 14 and 90 days after discharge across 3 phases: June to September 2019 (before teledermatology), June to September 2020 (early teledermatology), and February to May 2021 (sustained teledermatology). The time from discharge to scheduling and completion of patient follow-up visits for each care modality was also compared. Dermatology clinicians and schedulers were also interviewed between April and May 2021 to assess their perceptions of teledermatology for postdischarge patients. Results More patients completed follow-up within 90 days after discharge during early (n=101) and sustained (n=100) teledermatology use than at baseline (n=74). Thus, the clinic’s capacity to provide follow-up to patients transitioning from inpatient increased from baseline by 36% in the early (101 from 74) and sustained (100 from 74) teledermatology periods. During early teledermatology use, 61.4% (62/101) of the follow-ups were conducted via video. This decreased significantly to 47% (47/100) in the following year, when COVID-19–related restrictions started to lift (P=.04), indicating more targeted but still substantial use. The proportion of patients who were followed up within the recommended 14 days after discharge did not differ significantly between video and in-clinic visits during the early (33/62, 53% vs 15/39, 38%; P=.15) or sustained (26/53, 60% vs 28/47, 49%; P=.29) teledermatology periods. Interviewees agreed that teledermatology would continue to be offered. Most considered postdischarge follow-up patients to be ideal candidates for teledermatology as they had undergone a recent in-person assessment and might have difficulty attending in-clinic visits because of competing health priorities. Some reported patients needing technological support. Ultimately, most agreed that the choice of follow-up care modality should be the patient’s own. Conclusions Teledermatology could be an important tool for maintaining accessible, flexible, and convenient care for recently discharged patients needing follow-up care. Teledermatology increased clinic capacity, even during the pandemic, although the timeliness of care transitions did not improve. Ultimately, the care modality should be determined through communication with patients to incorporate their and their caregivers’ preferences.

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Teledermatology Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 14 publications

References 7 publications

Factors influencing use and perceptions of teledermatology: A mixed-methods study of 942 participants

Factors influencing use and perceptions of teledermatology: A mixed-methods study of 942 participants

Quality of life measurement in teledermatology. Position statement of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Task Forces on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes and Teledermatology

Teledermatology to Facilitate Patient Care Transitions From Inpatient to Outpatient Dermatology: Mixed Methods Evaluation

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