Medicolegal aspects of teledermatology

ABSTRACT

Teledermatology has facilitated specialist care during the crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, eliminating unnecessary office visits and the possible exposure of patients or dermatologists. However, teledermatology brings forward certain ethical and medicolegal questions. A medical consultation in which the patient is not physically present is still a medical act, to which all the usual ethical and medicolegal considerations and consequences apply. The patient's right to autonomy and privacy, confidentiality, and data protection must be guaranteed. The patient must agree to remote consultation by giving informed consent, for which a safeguard clause should be included. Well-defined practice guidelines and uniform legislation are required to preserve the highest level of safety for transferred data. Adequate training is also needed to prevent circumstances involving what might be termed “telemalpractice.”