01/18/2012    

E-HEALTH NEWS

Study Finds Remote Dermatology Consults Help Treatment, Outcomes

Live interactive telemedicine consults with dermatologists appeared to result in improved treatment and positive outcomes, according to a report in the American Medical Association's Archives of Dermatology journal. In a study funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, researchers examined the records of 1,490 patients who had a live teledermatology visit with a physician at the University of California at Davis between 2003 and 2005, and compared diagnoses and treatment plans between the referring physician and the dermatologist.

These visits resulted in changes in diagnosis for 69.9% of the patients and changes in disease management for 97.7%. Clinical improvement was seen in 68.7% of the 313 patients who were identified to have two or more virtual visits. The most common changes from the referring physician's original diagnosis were changing the diagnosis from skin infection to “primary inflammatory process,” such as psoriasis or eczema appearing as a fungal infection; changing from malignant lesion to benign; and from changing a benign lesion diagnosis to malignancy.

Source: Andis Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare [1/16/12]