Title : A review of the benefits and difficulties of teledermatology
Abstract:
Background: Telemedicine is an innovative use of technology that has transformed the medical system. For specialties such as dermatology that rely heavily on synthesizing visual information, telemedicine has proven to be useful. Although many advantages using teledermatology have been identified, limitations remain.
Objectives: To determine current benefits and drawbacks of using telemedicine within the field of dermatology.
Methods: A scoping review of the literature on the advantages and limitations of teledermatology was performed. Data was collected from Pubmed and Google Scholar. Several areas were investigated including telemedicine’s impact on accessibility, patient care quality, diagnostic reliability, security risks and reimbursement.
Results: A total of 6 broad categories were used to organize and collect data. Categories included patient care quality and experience, healthcare accessibility, privacy, technology limitations, insurance and policy. Current advantages and disadvantages were investigated and grouped appropriately for each subject of interest.
Conclusions: Teledermatology in many ways proves to be beneficial through expanding healthcare accessibility and continuity of care. Additional studies are needed in order to predict how patient care will be impacted as technology continues to evolve.
