Teledermatology: from historical perspective to emerging techniques of the modern era: part I: History, rationale, and current practice

Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications technology to support health care at a distance. Technological advances have progressively increased the ability of clinicians to care for diverse patient populations in need of skin expertise. Dermatology relies on visual cues that are easily captured b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2015-04, Vol.72 (4), p.563-74; quiz 575-6
Main Authors: Coates, Sarah J, Kvedar, Joseph, Granstein, Richard D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cell Phone
Computer Systems
Dermatology - education
Dermatology - manpower
Dermatology - methods
Dermatology - organization & administration
Dermatology - trends
Developed Countries
Developing Countries
Global Health
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Information Storage and Retrieval
Patient Satisfaction
Physician-Patient Relations
Remote Consultation
Skin Diseases - diagnosis
Skin Diseases - epidemiology
Skin Diseases - therapy
Telemedicine - instrumentation
Telemedicine - organization & administration
Telemedicine - trends
Treatment Outcome
Triage
United States - epidemiology
Videoconferencing
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Summary:Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications technology to support health care at a distance. Technological advances have progressively increased the ability of clinicians to care for diverse patient populations in need of skin expertise. Dermatology relies on visual cues that are easily captured by imaging technologies, making it ideally suited for this care model. Moreover, there is a shortage of medical dermatologists in the United States, where skin disorders account for 1 in 8 primary care visits and specialists tend to congregate in urban areas. Even in regions where dermatologic expertise is readily accessible, teledermatology may serve as an alternative that streamlines health care delivery by triaging chief complaints and reducing unnecessary in-person visits. In addition, many patients in the developing world have no access to dermatologic expertise, rendering it possible for teledermatologists to make a significant contribution to patient health outcomes. Teledermatology also affords educational benefits to primary care providers and dermatologists, and enables patients to play a more active role in the health care process by promoting direct communication with dermatologists.
ISSN:1097-6787
DOI:10.1016/j.jaad.2014.07.061