Psoriasis in teledermatology: analysis of the 2016‒2020 period in Santa Catarina

Abstract Background Psoriasis is a skin disease that affects 1.3% of Brazilians. The use of teledermatology (TD) in the public health sector has democratized access to dermatological care. Objective To analyze TD exams with suspected and/or diagnosed psoriasis performed between 2016‒2020 in the state of Santa Catarina (SC). Methods Analytical cross-sectional observational study that used secondary data collected from the records of TD exams from the Telemedicine and Telehealth System (TTS) of SC. The associations were evaluated by the chi-square test and Student'st test. The significance level was set at 5% (p < 0.05). Results During the period, 6,146 TD exams were related to psoriasis, 58% due to the diagnosis provided by the reporting dermatologist and 42% exclusively due to the suspected disease on the request of the examination. The male sex predominated among the diagnoses of dermatosis (51%; p < 0.001). Regarding risk classification, psoriasis diagnoses were predominantly yellow (58.7%; p < 0.001) or blue (39.7%; p < 0.001) risk, respectively indicating moderate to severe psoriasis (referral to tertiary care) and mild psoriasis (treatment in the primary health care [PHC] level). True positive tests, suspected by PHC and diagnosed with psoriasis through TD, were 34.1% (p < 0.001). Study limitations The TD service is available only for the public health network and analysis for a limited period (five years). Conclusions Psoriasis diagnoses performed by TD, when compared to other dermatoses, tend to receive treatment at the primary (p < 0.001) or tertiary (p < 0.001) health care level, reducing the number of referrals to the secondary care level.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices on teledermatology among dermatologists in the Philippines

Background@#Teledermatology has been widely used during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to overcome barriers in access to care. The objective of this study was to assess the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding teledermatology among dermatologists in the Philippines.@*Materials and Methods@#This was a cross-sectional and analytical study conducted from January 2022 to April 2022, among Filipino dermatologists using a self-administered online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the demographics of the participants. The two-sample t-test, Chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression model were used to analyze the data.@*Results@#Out of 113 respondents, 108 (95.5%) had adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward teledermatology. The majority (110/113, 97.35%) practiced teledermatology. The most commonly used platform was instant messaging applications(78/100, 70.91%), and the most common factor that influenced their practice was patient demands or needs(74/110, 67.27%). Those who did not practice teledermatology cited technological difficulties as the main reason.@*Conclusion@#Teledermatology was widely used by Filipino dermatologists to provide remote care during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to fully utilize its potential and limit potential issues associated with its use even after the pandemic, continuous training and education among dermatologists and a more enabling technological environment may be needed.

Patient perception and satisfaction with a smartphone-based teledermatology service initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary care hospital in North India

Background: Telemedicine is being increasingly used to provide healthcare to patients, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: The study aimed to study patient perception and satisfaction with a smartphone-based hybrid teledermatology service initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a cross-sectional telephonic survey including patients ?18 years of age who had received a teledermatology consultation. After noting the demographic, clinical and teleconsultation details, patients were administered the Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire and an additional 6-item questionnaire. Patients were also asked to give qualitative feedback and suggestions for improvement using a semi-structured interview guide. Results: We interviewed 201 subjects. The most common diagnoses were pemphigus (27, 13.4%), superficial fungal infections (24, 11.8%), psoriasis (22, 10.9%) and dermatitis (21, 10.4%). The overall mean Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire score was 4.20± 0.71. One hundred seventy-one (85.1%) patients responded that they would use teledermatology services again, while 168 (83.6%) reported satisfaction with the quality of services. A majority of the patients were largely satisfied with the various components involved, though some concerns were raised about the care perceived as not at par with physical consultations, difficulty in procuring medicines, lack of confidence in photographic diagnoses and the lack of a personal touch. Patients with urticaria (P=0.020), those who were advised a change in treatment (P=0.029) and those with improvement in their skin disease (P=0.026) were more likely to be satisfied. Limitations: Our study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic when patient acceptability was likely to be higher. Only follow-up patients were included in the study. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction levels were generally high with teledermatology. Addressing lacunae that negatively impact patient perception and satisfaction will help in greater acceptance of teledermatology services.

Acurácia da teledermatoscopia móvel na avaliação de lesões cutâneas pigmentadas / The accuracy of mobile teledermatoscopy in the assessment of pigmented skin lesions

Neste estudo transversal, comparamos o diagnóstico feito por meio da teledermatoscopia ao diagnóstico histopatológico. Fotos convencionais e dermatoscópicas de 31 lesões pigmentadas foram enviadas a um dermatologista experiente por meio do aplicativo WhatsApp® Messenger. Todas as lesões foram excisadas e examinadas por um dermatopatologista. A acurácia global da teledermatoscopia móvel foi de 90,32%. Em relação à capacidade de a teledermatoscopia definir malignidade da lesão pigmentada, a especificidade foi de 81,8% e a sensibilidade de 100%. Nossos resultados fornecem evidências adicionais sobre a confiabilidade da teledermatoscopia móvel, com alta sensibilidade e precisão.

In this cross-sectional study, we compared the diagnosis made through teledermatoscopy with histopathological diagnosis. Conventional and dermoscopic photos of 31 pigmented lesions were taken and sent to an experienced dermatologist using the WhatsApp® Messenger application. A dermatopathologist excised and examined all lesions. The global accuracy of mobile teledermatoscopy was 90.32%. Regarding the ability of teledermatoscopy to define malignancy of the pigmented lesion, the specificity was 81.8% and the sensitivity was 100%. Our results provide additional evidence of the reliability of mobile teledermatoscopy with high sensitivity and accuracy.

Brechas en telemedicina: caracterización de consultas ambulatorias a teledermatología en Chile entre 2018-2020 / Gaps in telemedicine: characterization of ambulatory teledermatology consultations in Chile, between 2018 and 2020

Introducción: La teledermatología (TD) se ha desarrollado de manera importante en los últimos años. Además de mejorar el acceso de la población a consultas médicas, permite el diagnóstico precoz de lesiones complejas. En Chile, la TD forma parte de la plataforma Hospital Digital del Ministerio de Salud desde el 2018, en modalidad asincrónica. El objetivo de este estudio es la caracterización epidemiológica de las consultas ambulatorias a TD en Chile entre los años 2018-2020. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo. Se analizaron las consultas ambulatorias a TD y a dermatología en el período 2018-2020, a partir de los datos del Departamento de Estadísticas e Información de Salud, y los datos de población total a partir del Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, por lo que no se requirió comité de ética. Resultados: Del total de teleconsultas realizadas entre 2018-2020, un 14,2% correspondió a TD. De ellas, el 86,1% corresponden a consultas nuevas, y el 13,9% a controles. Del total de pacientes, el 63,0% fueron mujeres, mientras que el 78,9% fueron mayores de 15 años. Se realizaron 20,35 consultas a TD por cada 10.000 habitantes a nivel nacional, y 17,21 consultas dermatológicas por cada consulta a TD. Discusión: La TD es una de las principales aplicaciones de la telemedicina en Chile. La variación entre las regiones con respecto al número de consultas a TD podría deberse a factores que requieren mayor estudio. Es probable que la TD mantenga un rol creciente debido al desarrollo tecnológico y los beneficios demostrados de esta herramienta.

Introduction: Teledermatology (TD) has greatly developed in recent years. Besides improving access to medical consultations, it also allows the early diagnosis of complex lesions. In Chile, TD forms part of the Digital Hospital platform of the Ministry of Health since 2018, in a store-and-forward form. The objective of this study is to characterize ambulatory consultations with TD in Chile between 2018 and 2020. Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was performed. Ambulatory consultations with TD and dermatology between 2018-2020 were analyzed from data obtained from the Department of Statistics and Health Information, and population data were obtained from the Statistics National Institute, which did not require ethical approval. Results: Of the total teleconsultations made in the 2018-2020 period, 14.2% belonged to TD. From that, 86.1% were new consultations, and 13.9% were controls. Women represented 63.0% of the patients, while 78.9% were older than 15 years old. For every 10,000 inhabitants, 20.35 total consultations were made with TD nationwide, and 17.21 dermatological consultations were made for each consultation with TD. Discussion: TD is one of the main applications of telemedicine in Chile. The variation in the number of consultations with TD between regions could be caused by factors that require further study. It is likely that TD will keep a growing role due to technological development and benefits shown by this tool.

Impacto de la teledermatología en pacientes con cáncer cutáneo durante la COVID-19

RESUMEN Fundamento: durante la pandemia de la COVID-19 hubo dificultad para acceder a las interconsultas de dermatología por lo que se imposibilitaba priorizar los casos de cáncer de piel. Se diseñó e implementó un sistema de teledermatología, a través de la telefonía móvil, para el estudio de pacientes con esta patología. Objetivo: evaluar el impacto del sistema de teledermatología para el estudio del cáncer de piel, en pacientes atendidos en Hospital Dermatológico Guillermo Fernández Hernández-Baquero durante la pandemia de la COVID-19. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo para evaluar el impacto de la teledermatología en 88 pacientes con lesiones sospechosas de cánceres de piel, remitidos, de la Atención Primaria y atendidos en el Hospital Dermatológico Guillermo Fernández Hernández-Baquero en el período desde el primero de abril de 2020 hasta el primero de abril de 2021. Se diseñó un sistema de teledermatología, de tipo teleconsulta con la posibilidad de telediagnóstico, basado en el intercambio de imágenes y textos, en un dispositivo móvil Android. Se utilizó el método estadístico descriptivo. Los resultados se expresaron en tablas para su mayor comprensión. Resultados: el carcinoma basocelular predominó en el 63,6 %. La correlación clínico-patológica para el carcinoma basocelular fue de 96,4 %, por teledermatología y por consulta presencial, respectivamente. La concordancia simple fue de 93,2 %. Las discordancias fueron leves para un 6,8 %. El nivel de satisfacción fue de 95,5 %, muy satisfechos con el sistema de teledermatología aplicado. Conclusiones: el sistema de teledermatología tiene viabilidad técnica, es eficiente, útil, con exactitud diagnóstica, fiabilidad y reproductibilidad, siendo efectivo en el diagnóstico del cáncer de piel, en condiciones epidemiológicas desfavorables como la pandemia de la COVID-19.

ABSTRACT Background: during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was difficulty in accessing dermatology consultations, making it impossible to prioritize skin cancer cases. A teledermatology system was designed and implemented, through mobile telephony, for the study of patients with this pathology. Objective: to evaluate the impact of the teledermatology system for the study of skin cancer in patients treated at the Guillermo Fernández Hernández-Baquero Dermatological Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: a descriptive study was carried out to evaluate the impact of teledermatology in 88 patients with lesions suspected of skin cancers, referred from Primary Care and treated at the Guillermo Fernández Hernández-Baquero Dermatological Hospital in the period since April 1 2020 until April 1, 2021. A teledermatology system was designed, of the teleconsultation type with the possibility of remote diagnosis, based on the exchange of images and texts, on an Android mobile device. The descriptive statistical method was used. The results were expressed in tables for better understanding. Results: basal cell carcinoma predominated in 63.6 %. The clinic pathological correlation for basal cell carcinoma was 96.4 %, by teledermatology and by face-to-face consultation, respectively. Simple agreement was 93.2 %. Disagreements were slight for 6.8 %. The level of satisfaction was 95.5 %, very satisfied with the applied teledermatology system. Conclusions: the teledermatology system has technical feasibility, is efficient, useful, with diagnostic accuracy, reliability and reproducibility, being effective in the diagnosis of skin cancer, in unfavorable epidemiological conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Estado del arte de la teledermatología / State of the art of tele dermatology

Resumen El avance de las telecomunicaciones junto con el desarrollo de la fotografía digital han permitido que la Dermatología use herramientas de consulta antes no utilizadas. La teledermatología consiste en la evaluación clínica de lesiones cutáneas por dermatólogos, permitiendo el diagnóstico y el tratamiento a distancia. En este artículo se realiza una revisión de los principales estudios publicados a nivel mundial sobre la teledermatología, diferentes estrategias de aplicación, principales ventajas y desventajas, su legislación y su uso en pandemias.

Abstract The advancement of the telecommunications technologies together with the development of digital photography have allowed dermatology to use previously unexplored consultation tools. Teledermatology consists of the clinical evaluation of skin lesions by dermatologists, to support long-distance clinical health care. This article reviews the main published studies on teledermatology, different strategies of application, advantages and disadvantages of teledermatology, its legislation and its use in pandemics.

Tumor check through teledermatology: A critical appraisal

@#Original article: Kroemer S, Frühauf J, Campbell T, Massone C, Schwantzer G, Soyer H, Hofmann-Wellenhof R. Mobile teledermatology for skin tumour screening: diagnostic accuracy of clinical and dermoscopic image tele-evaluation using cellular phones. Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(5):973-979. Aim: The original article aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of clinical and dermoscopic image tele-evaluation for mobile skin tumor screening. Setting and population: The tumors examined in the study were selected prospectively from an outpatient clinic in Graz, Austria in a duration of 3 months. They are from men or women with benign and/or malignant skin tumors of either melanocytic or non-melanocytic origin. A total of 104 tumors from 80 patients using a mobile phone camera were gathered. The lesions were from the head and neck area, trunk, legs and feet and genital area. Study examination: A board-certified dermatologist with clinical expertise in teledermatology and dermoscopy reviewed the clinical and dermoscopic pictures with clinical information separately. The results from the review of the pictures were compared with those obtained by face-to-face examination and the gold standard face-to-face examination plus histopathology. Outcome: Tumors were classified under four categories: benign non-melanocytic, benign melanocytic, malignant non-melanocytic and malignant melanocytic. The table (Table 1) below shows the final diagnoses of the skin tumors examined per category. Results: Among these 104 lesions, 25 (24%) benign non-melanocytic, 15 (14%) benign melanocytic, 58 (56%) malignant non-melanocytic and six (6%) malignant melanocytic lesions were identified. Clinical and dermoscopic tele-evaluations showed high sensitivity and specificity. For malignant non-melanocytic tumors, sensitivity for both clinical and dermoscopic lesions is 97%; specificity for clinical and dermoscopic lesions are 91& and 94%, respectively. For classifying malignant melanocytic lesions, sensitivity for both clinical and dermoscopic lesions is 100% while specificity is 98% and 97%, respectively Conclusion: Clinical image tele-evaluation might be the method of choice for mobile tumor screening. Both clinical image tele-evaluation and teledermoscopy achieved excellent and equally high concordance rates with the gold standard.

Patient-assisted teledermatology practice: What is it: When, where, and how it is applied.

Recent teledermatology practice has been focused on different models made possible by robust advances in information technology leading to consistent interaction between the patient and health care professionals. Patient-assisted teledermatology practice also called patient-enabled teledermatology or home based teledermatology is one such novel model. There is a lack of scientifi c literature and substantive reviews on patient-assisted teledermatology practice. The present article reviews several studies and surveys on patientassisted teledermatology practice and outlines its advantages and barriers to clinical utility and analyses the potentiality of this concept. Incorporating patient-assisted teledermatology practice as a novel model in the revised classifi cation of teledermatology practice is proposed. In patient-assisted teledermatology, the patient can upload his/her clinical images as a fi rst contact with the dermatologist or an initial face-to-face examination can be followed by teledermatology consultations. The latter method is well suited to chronic diseases such as psoriasis, vitiligo, and leg ulcers, which may need frequent follow-up entailing signifi cant costs and time, particularly in the elderly. Teledermatology may also be used by the treating dermatologist to seek expert opinion for diffi cult cases. Studies have demonstrated the importance and usability of the concept of patient-assisted teledermatology practice. Various teledermatology care models are available and the appropriate model should be chosen depending on whether the clinical situation is that of easily diagnosed cases (“spotters”), chronic cases or doubtful cases and difficult-to-manage cases.

A longitudinal study of consistency in diagnostic accuracy of teledermatology tools.

Background: Diagnostic accuracy (DA) is an outcome measure to assess the feasibility of teledermatology tools. Despite ample data with variable DA values, no study has examined the aggregate DA value obtained from the available studies and observed its consistency over a period of time. This kind of a longitudinal study about teledermatology will be necessary to check its usefulness and plan for further implementation. Aims: To observe the DA trend over a period of 15 years (1997-2011). Methods: Only those studies (n = 59) using a single tool for general, tertiary, and subspecialty teledermatology practice were included to obtain the DA values. Studies were graded based on the number of subjects and gold standard comparison between teledermatologist and clinical dermatologist (face-to-face examination). Results: This analysis sought to identify the DA trend was carried out by evaluating 17 store and forward teledermatology (SAFT) based and 8 Video conference (VC) tool-based studies with 2385 and 1305 patients respectively, in comparison with the gold-standard assessment. The average DA was 73.35% ± 14.87% for SAFT and 70.37% ± 7.01% for VC. One sample t-test analysis with 100% accuracy as standard value revealed 28% deficiency for SAFT (t = 7.925; P = 0.000) and 30% deficiency for VC (t = 11.955; P = 0.000). Kruskall-Wallis test confirmed the consistency of DA values in the SAFT (χ2 = 1.852, P = 0.763) tool. Conclusion: SAFT and VC were adequately validated on a large number of patients by various feasibility studies with the gold standard (face-to-face) comparison between teledermatologists and clinical dermatologists. The DA of SAFT was good, stable over the 15 years and comparable to VC. Health-care providers need to plan for appropriate utility of SAFT either alone or in combination with VC to implement and deliver teledermatology care in India.

Newer insights in teledermatology practice.

The study and practice of dermatology care using interactive audio, visual, and data communications from a distance is called teledermatology. A teledermatology practice (TP) provides teleconsultation as well tele-education. Initially, dermatologists used videoconference. Convenience, cost-effectiveness and easy application of the practice made "store and forward" to emerge as a basic teledermatology tool. The advent of newer technologies like third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) mobile teledermatology (MT) and dermatologists' interest to adopt tertiary TP to pool expert (second) opinion to address difficult-to-manage cases (DMCs) has resulted in a rapid change in TP. Online discussion groups (ODGs), author-based second opinion teledermatology (AST), or a combination of both are the types of tertiary TP. This article analyzes the feasibility studies and provides latest insight into TP with a revised classification to plan and allocate budget and apply appropriate technology. Using the acronym CAP-HAT, which represents five important factors like case, approach, purpose, health care professionals, and technology, one can frame a TP. Store-and-forward teledermatology (SAFT) is used to address routine cases (spotters). Chronic cases need frequent follow-up care. Leg ulcer and localized vitiligo need MT while psoriasis and leprosy require SAFT. Pigmented skin lesions require MT for triage and combination of teledermoscopy, telepathology, and teledermatology for diagnosis. A self-practising dermatologist and national health care system dermatologist use SAFT for routine cases and a combination of ASTwith an ODG to address a DMC. A TP alone or in combination with face-to-face consultation delivers quality care.

Aplicación de la teledermatología asincrónica en usuarios de la comuna de Yerbas Buenas, Región del Maule, Chile / Effectiveness of asynchronous teledermatology in users of the rural health center in Chile

La teledermatología (TD) revoluciona la atención en dermatología, facilitando su acceso a regiones remotas. La TD asincrónica (TDA), utilizada para el diagnóstico dermatológico a través del envío de información mediante e-mail, ha sido implementada en forma limitada en Chile. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la efectividad y la satisfacción usuaria (SU) de la TDA en un centro de salud rural de Chile. Se diseño un sistema de teleconsultas, capacitando a los médicos generales en patología dermatológica más frecuente y se realizó contrarreferencia. Se analizaron 172 teleconsultas. Las patologías más frecuentes fueron: acné (11,1 por ciento), onicomicosis (8,7 por ciento), psoriasis (4,1 por ciento), dermatitis de contacto (4,1 por ciento) y verrugas (4,1 por ciento), Se encontró alta concordancia diagnóstica (CD) entre médicos generales y especialista (88,3 por ciento). La SU general alcanzó un 97 por ciento y se logró la resolución del 99,4 por ciento de las teleconsultas. La TDA permite proporcionar atención dermatológica a distancia, lo que permitiría favorecer a diversas localidades rurales de Chile.

Teledermatology (TD) revolutionizes the delivery of dermatology services by facilitating the access to specialist services at a distance. Asynchronous TD (ATD) is used for skin diseases diagnosis by sending information and images through e-mail. Its implementation in Chile has been limited. The purpose of this study was to analize the effectiveness and the user satisfaction (US) of the application of ATD in a rural helath center in Chile. A teleconsultation system was designed, primary care general practitioners were trained in dermatological diagnosis and implementation of the cross-refertence was developed. We assessed 172 teleconsultations. The most frequent pathologies were acne (11,1 percent), onychomycosis (8,7 percent), psoriasis (4,1 percent), contact dermatitis (4,1 percent) and warts (4,1 percent). The diagnosis concordance (DC) was 88,3 percent and the general US reached 97 percent. Diagnostic and therapeutic resolution was achieved in 99,4 percent of the teleconsultations. ATD was able to provide a distant dermatological assistance, helping several rural areas of Chile.

Live Interactive Teledermatologic Consultation: Clinical Evaluation and the Patients' Satisfaction / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine is broadly defined as using telecommunication technology to transfer medical information. Teledermatology is defined as using telemedicine in the field of dermatology, and this can be divided into a storage-and-forward system and a live interactive system. The latter uses video-conferencing equipment and it is known to be more useful than the former. However, there have been few studies on live interactive teledermatologic consultation in Korea. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to describe and quantify teledematologic consultation and to assess patients' satisfaction with the live interactive consultation by using a questionnaire. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of the patients who were consulted through the teledermatologic system. To assess patients' satisfaction with the live interactive teledermatologic consultation, we asked the patients to complete a questionnaire after the consultation. RESULTS: A total of 98 patients were consulted for 112 skin problems. The most frequent skin problem was eczematous diseases (33.9%), followed by infectious diseases (25.0%). Concerning the treatment efficacy, 90.7% of the patients experienced improvement of their initial symptom. Only one main diagnosis was recorded for 64.3% of the cases, and one main diagnosis with one other possible diagnosis to be differentiated was recorded for 30.4% of the cases. For the aspect of the technical quality, 66.1% of the patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the performance of the instruments for live interactive communication. In addition, half of the patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the teledermatologic consultation, and 59.7% of the patients answered that they would use teledermatologic consultation system again if another skin problem develops. CONCLUSION: With its good performance, teledermatologic consultation seems to be helpful and satisfactory for the patients who are unable to visit the dermatologic out-patients clinic.

Concordance studies of a web based system in teledermatology / Estudios de concordancia de un sistema web de teledermatología

Introduction: Implementation of teledermatology in primary care offers the possibility of treating patients using specific dermatologic knowledge in far away places with infrequent availability to these services. It is a priority to implement teledermatology services which demonstrate diagnostic reliability and satisfaction among users. bjectives and methods: To measure the diagnostic reliability of an asynchronous teledermatology web based application by means of intraobserver and interobserver concordance during teleconsultation and traditional presential ("face to face") consultation. Furthermore, to evaluate user satisfaction regarding the teleconsultation and the web application. Results: A sample of 82 patients with 172 dermatologic diagnoses was obtained, in which an intraobserver concordance between 80.8% and 86.6%, and an interobserver concordance between 77.3% and 79.6% were found. Satisfaction was evaluated to be on an average of 92.5%. Conclusions: The teleconsultation reliability in teledermatology is evidenced to be high, and is susceptible of improvement through the implementation of health information standards and digital dermatologic photography protocols.

Introducción: La implementación de la teledermatología en el cuidado primario ofrece la posibilidad de tratar pacientes utilizando conocimiento dermatológico específico desde lugares remotos que no poseen estos servicios con frecuencia. Es prioritario implementar servicios de teledermatología que demuestran fiabilidad diagnóstica y satisfacción entre todos los usuarios. Objetivo y métodos: Medir la fiabilidad diagnóstica de una aplicación web de tele-dermatología asíncrona a través de la concordancia intra-observador e inter-observador, durante la tele-consulta y la consulta presencial. Además, evaluar la satisfacción de los usuarios con respecto a la tele-consulta y aplicación Web. Resultados: Se obtuvo una muestra de 82 pacientes con 172 diagnósticos dermatológicos, donde se presentó una concordancia intra-observador entre 80.8% y 86.6%, por su lado la concordancia inter-observador varió entre 77.3% y 79.6%. La satisfacción alcanzó un promedio de 92.5%.Conclusiones: Se evidencia que la fiabilidad de la tele-consulta en tele-dermatología es alta, susceptible de mejorar a través de la implementación de estándares de información en salud y protocolos de fotografía dermatológica digital.

Telemedicina: uma revisão da literatura / Telemedicine: a review of the literature

O crescimento das inovações tecnológicas na área da computação, nas imagens digitais de alta resolução, na robótica e na internet tiveram grande impacto na forma como a informação passou a ser disponibilizada na medicina. Apresentamos um enfoque sobre as várias formas e aplicações da telemedicina como tele-educação, tele-asssistência, custo-efetividade e como este modelo se apresenta dentro do Brasil. No Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), o Serviço de Dermatologia visa a integrar a telemedicina no currículo da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul através do projeto Cybertutor aplicado ao ensino da Dermatologia.

The growth of technological innovations in computer science, high-resolution digital image compression, robotics and Internet had a great impact in the process of delivering medical information. We present a report that focus on the wide range of types and applications of telemedicine, such as tele-education, tele-health care, cost-effectiveness e the way this model is present in Brazil. At Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, the Dermatology Department aims to integrate telemedicine in the educational curriculum of the Medical School, through the use of the Cybertutor plataform for teaching Dermatology.

Primer estudio de teledermatología en México: Una nueva herramienta de salud pública / First Study of Teledermatology in Mexico: A New Public Heatlh Tool

Introducción: la Telemedicina ha sido utilizada desde hace más de 50 años. Ha tenido auge en Dermatología, fundamentalmente en países desarrollados (Teledermatología). Puede ser sincrónica o asincrónica. Objetivo: evaluar la eficacia y confiabilidad de la aplicación de la tecnología de almacenamiento y repetición de video (teledermatología asincrónica) en el diagnóstico de enfermedades dermatológicas. Métodos: se estudiaron 50 pacientes con problemas cutáneos en una población rural, marginada del área tropical, los cuales primero fueron evaluados por dermatólogos en una consulta tradicional (estándar de oro); posteriormente las lesiones fueron filmadas por un grupo de estudiantes y en un último paso, el videocasete con las lesiones y la historia clínica por escrito fueron proporcionadas a otro grupo de dermatólogos cuyo diagnóstico fue comparado con el del estándar de oro. Resultados: se notó alta concordancia de diagnósticos entre los teledermatólogos y el estándar de oro. Se realizó un análisis estadístico de concordancia kappa el cual fue adecuado para cada uno de los observadores. Conclusiones: este estudio evidencia la eficacia de la teledermatología asincrónica en áreas marginales. Con base en este hallazgo se sugiriere la ampliación de su uso.

Background: Telemedicine has been used for more than 50 years. Dermatology has been one of the specialties where it has reached great development (Teledermatology). When the observation is made simultaneously by the outreach specialist and by the non-specialist at the workplace, it is called synchronous teledermatology, and asynchronous when information is filmed, stored, and presented to the specialist at a later time. Objective: To evaluate efficacy and reliability of asynchronous teledermatology for adequate diagnosis of skin diseases. Methods: Fifty patients with dermatologic disorders were seen in a poor tropical rural zone, first by non-dermatologists in conventional consultation and then by dermatologists to obtain a diagnosis (gold standard); the latter step consisted of evaluation of filmed lesions by another group of dermatologist later on. Results: There was a high concordance of diagnosis between the two groups of dermatologists when kappa analysis was performed. Conclusion: It appears important to use these technological advances in developing-countries to improve delivery of health care.

Diagnostic Agreement between Teleconsultation and Clinic-based Consultation in Dermatology / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUDN: Telemedicine has the potential to reform the delivery system of dermatologic health care. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the concordance and accuracy of diagnosis and the management plan of dermatologist's teleconsultation and traditional clinic-based consultation. METHODS: Eighty-eight lesions of 77 patients were examined by digital image and clinic-based consultation by one dermatologist. The reliability and accuracy of the dermatologist's diagnoses and the reliability of the management recommendations were compared. RESULTS: The concordance of diagnosis between telemedicine and clinic-based consultation showed high levels(complete agreement, 92.05%; complete + partial agreement, 97.73%). The agreement on management recommendations was variable. The diagnostic confidence and the image quality affected the agreement. CONCLUSION: The digital image consultations result in reliable diagnostic outcomes when compared with the traditional clinic-based consultaion. And it is necessary to investigate the accuracy of teledermatology and to identify clinical conditions inappropriate for teleconsultation.

Analysis of Dermatologic Counseling by PC Communication / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine(tele+medicine=medicine at a distance) is a health care delivery system to deliver health care to patients at distant sites. In Korea, medical counseling by PC communication is nearly the only available field in the telemedicine at present. However, the concerns of telemedicine is growing as an issue, and dermatologists in Korea should be prepared for "the era of teledermatology". OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the queries of PC communication and the internet. Based on the results of the analysis, we tried to establish a more effective medical counseling system by PC communication and make them basic data to prepare the utilization of telemedicine system. METHODS: We analyzed questions and answers in ten sites in a computer mediated communication system from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 1997. RESULTS: The proportion of questions in dermatologic area among all medical fields was relatively high(8.7-13.4%). The frequency was acne, urticaria, alopecia, and so on, in an order of high frequency, which was different from previous results in a statistical study of outpatients in dermatology. Reasons for questions were to know the treatment method(42.2%), to get the diagnosis (23.7%), and so on. Contents of answers were explanation(46.5%), advice to visit doctors(40.4%), and so on. CONCLUSION: The proportion of dermatologic questions in telemedicine was high, and there are possibilities of dermatology's being important in the future of telemedicine. Therefore, dermatologists should be prepared for the future telemedicine era. However, teledermatology should be evaluated thoroughly and improved because we could see some problems in that.

Telemedicine in Dermatology / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine can be useful in dermatology in which there is a physical barrier between the dermatologist and patient or primary care giver. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose of this study is to examine a usefulness of teledermatology system in Korean situation. METHODS: We made store-and forward teledermatology system on world wide web for it's usefulness. We examined the difference of diagnostic accuracy, level of certainty, and quality of images of photographs and still digital images. RESULTS: The merits of our teledermatology system are summarized as follows1. It has more diagnostic accuracy than classic store-and forward system. 2. The real-time additional history taking and request of laboratory examinations are possible by chatting system between dermatologist and primary care giver. 3. Patient follow-up is easier than store-and forward system. The difference of diagnostic accuracy, level of certainty, and quality of images of photographs and still digital images are summarized as follows. 1. There is no difference of diagnostic accuracy between photographic readers and digital image readers. 2. There is no difference of level of certainty between photographic readers and digital image readers. 3. In assesment of quality of photographs, no difference was founded between photographic readers and digital image readers 4. The satisfaction of quality of photographs is very high in all groups. The average is 97.5%. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that our teledermatology system is useful in korean situation and still digital image can substitute historic photographs in teledermatology.