RESUMO
There is a shortage of dermatologists available to see hospitalized patients, especially for urgent evaluations such as in the emergency department setting. The use of teledermatology in the emergency setting was studied for patients presenting to the emergency department with symptoms of or a diagnosis of cellulitis. Thirty patients were enrolled and randomized to a teledermatology note being placed in their chart versus control patients undergoing standard care. Although randomized, in this small pilot study, the locations of involvement were unbalanced across treatment groups. The mean length of stay was slightly longer in the group randomized to teledermatology; however, this was largely related to the unbalanced number of patients presenting with bilateral and lower extremity complaints in the teledermatology group. This study provides important preliminary data for future studies, including ensuring appropriate balancing of locations of involvement, a larger sample size, and more rigid entry criteria.
