Teledermatology

Teledermatology for Northstate Healthcare System

Chitra Gummadi
University of Illinois, Chicago

Abstract
Teledermatology is an effective way to provide healthcare delivery specific to dermatology. Teledermatology has the ability to reduce patients wait time for appointments, travel time for in office visits while improving and widening access to care to patients in low served areas. Studies have shown that Teledermatology holds great promise in providing patients with instantaneous care and has the potential to partially shift healthcare delivery from in-person visits to remote consultations. The purpose of this research paper is to present Teledermatology technology, uses and benefits to Northstate Healthcare System board members

A retrospective record review on teleconsultations in California determined that the specialist made changes to the original diagnosis made by the primary care physicians in 48% of cases for the patient’s benefit (Bashshur, Shannon, Tejasvi, Kvedar, & Gates, 2015). The study observed a change in treatment 79% of the time and a 58% improvement in clinical outcomes. NHS providers would be able to access dermatology specialists for a second opinion resulting in better care for NHS patients. Because of the long periods and gaps between appointments, patients lose motivation to be compliant with treatment regimens. Conducting compliance or monitoring appointments via Teledermatology can ensure that patients are being compliant and re-motivate them to stick to the treatment regiment. This encouragement of patient compliance can help improve patient long-term health goals and outcomes. Teledermatology can be used to provide patients with timely access to care, for example, for treating conditions that are time sensitive like shingles or poison ivy rashes, where 1-2 days makes a significant difference in symptoms experienced by the

By using Teledermatology for follow-up appointments, dermatologists will be able to manage low-risk patients through Teledermatology and see their high-risk patients and surgical patients sooner in the office. Additionally, high-risk patients can also use Teledermatology for a spot evaluation for new or recurring lesions instead of waiting for their next in-office visit. An observational study showed that by using the SAF model, patients with skin tumors experienced a 26-day wait time for surgical intervention versus a 61-day wait time using the conventional face-to-face conventional system (Bashshur, Shannon, Tejasvi, Kvedar, & Gates, 2015). A study conducted by Nami et al., (2015), showed that the average time taken for a Teledermatology consultation was significantly less compared to face-to-face consultation and that Teledermatology reduced the need for face-to-face consultation by 70-80%. This significant timesavings will equate to cost savings for NHS and increased productivity by