Teledermatology in the time of COVID‐19

Abstract

Aims The enormous spread of the novel Corona virus disease (COVID‐19) represents a challenge to dermatological practice. Accumulating evidence has suggested a possible role of teledermatology in facing this challenge. In this article, we aimed to give a general overview of teledermatology in terms of models of practice, modes of delivery, advantages, limitations, ethical considerations and legislative challenges as well as discussing, using examples from literature, how dermatological practice can benefit from teledermatology during the time of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Discussion and conclusion Teledermatology could be an accessible, accurate and cost‐effective substitute for conventional face‐to‐face dermatological consultations during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, teledermatology practice needs updated legislation and guidelines. More efforts should be done to encourage dermatologists, especially in underserved communities, to provide teledermatology services. Ethical issues and data security related to teledermatology have to be considered.

Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on hospital admissions of patients with rare diseases: an experience of a Southern Italy referral center

“…Unfortunately, the COVID‐19 pandemic had complicated the assistance to this fragile class of patients. We have implemented telemedicine services for all patients who could not seek our attention, with e‐mails, WhatsApp, and Zoom mediated telemedicine playing a key role during the COVID‐19 pandemic 3,4 . Obviously, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, we followed strict precautionary measures for the management of these fragile patients: they had to perform a molecular swab 48 hours preceding the visit or hospitalization and could not be accompanied by other caregivers except for minors.…”

A Glance at the Practice of Pediatric Teledermatology Pre- and Post–COVID-19: Narrative Review

“…In the transmission of clinical images, data protection is paramount. The personal data of patients could be protected by pseudo anonymization (limiting access to authorized personnel), entity authentication, and data encryption [ 8 ].…”

Inpatient Teledermatology: a Review

“…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 •]. Teledermatology has become an essential, established tool for the outpatient and inpatient dermatologist during the current pandemic environment and beyond [ 27 ]…”