FEATURE ARTICLE 2.0 Contact Teledermatology Hours Virtual Access to Quality Dermatology Care and Beyond Michael Roman, Sharon E. Jacob ABSTRACT: Teledermatology is the treatment of skin dis- specific term used is teledermatology (henceforth Telederm). ease whereby there is transfer of electronic medical in- Telederm is a valuable tool in the diagnosis and management formation from one provider in one location to another of dermatologic diseases for it affords patients the op- provider at a different location. There are two primary portunity to receive care who would otherwise have no or forms of Telederm: store-and-forward method and live/ limited access, for example, immobilized patients or those real-time interactive dermatology, which are both dis- living in rural areas (including deployed service people, rural cussed in this article. The potential benefits of telederma- Veterans Affairs outpatient clinics, community-based out- tology include increased healthcare system efficiency, patient clinics, etc.). Furthermore, it may also be useful in reductions in patient wait time from evaluation to treatment, primary care settings to triage cases and streamline derma- and improvements in overall patient access. This article tology clinic referrals. discusses the conditions suitable for face-to-face consults versus teledermatology consult, the limitations of teleder- HOW DOES TELEDERM WORK? matology, and the ethical considerations of this patient care service modality. There are two main forms of Telederm: store and forward Key words: Access, Dermatology, Store-and-Forward, (SAF) and live/real-time interactive dermatology. The SAF Teledermatology method is the more common of the two forms (Figure 1). This method involves sending or forwarding digital images associated with medical information to a remote consulted WHAT IS TELEDERMATOLOGY? specialist. For example, a referring provider would send a Telemedicine a medical term used to denote health services patient, along with an electronic consult (including relevant provided through telecommunication technology, whereby history of general medical and present dermatologic disease), there is transfer of medical information electronically (audio, to the Telederm nurse or Telederm technician to be imaged. visual, and data) from one place to another. These modalities The Telederm imager is an integral component of the over- are widely used in radiology, ophthalmology (retinal evalua- all Telederm process because of the unique services it tions), dermatology, and medical education programs. When provides. Once the images of a lesion are captured, they are skin disease is the patient care issue being addressed, the then associated with the electronic consult and referred on to a dermatologist or dermatology nurse practitioner (DNP) Michael Roman, BS, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, for a medical opinion. Los Angeles, CA. The consultant would then be able to assess the image Sharon E. Jacob, MD, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA. and offer the appropriate recommendations without physi- Sharon E. Jacob served as an independent investigator on the safety cally being in the same room as the patient. Advantages of and efficacy of T.R.U.E. Test (Smart Practice; Phoenix, AZ) panels this method, as compared with the live/real-time interactive 1.1, 2.1, and 3.1 in children and adolescents, Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA-1) trial, and now serves as an investigator on method, are that it is not reliant on the presence of both PREA-2. She has served as a consultant for Johnson & Johnson. She parties at the same time and does not usually require expen- has no conflicts of interest associated with the subject matter in this sive equipment. manuscript. Michael Roman has no relevant disclosures or conflicts In real-time/live interactive Telederm applications, the of interest. provider and patient usually interact via live videoconfer- Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to encing (akin to ‘‘Skype’’). An example would be a primary Sharon E. Jacob, MD, Department of Dermatology, Loma Linda University, Faculty Medical Offices, 11370, Anderson Street, Suite care provider or general nurse practitioner and a patient 2600, Loma Linda, CA 92354. who are together conducting a video conference call with E-mail: [email protected] a remote dermatologist or DNP. This mode generally requires DOI: 10.1097/JDN.0000000000000086 videoconferencing technological equipment for both the VOLUME 6 | NUMBER 6 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 285 Copyright © 2014 Dermatology Nurses' Association. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. FIGURE 2. Patient with a symptomatic seborrheic keratosis (courtesy of S. E. Jacob). of basic skin disease improves the overall efficiency of the system. One of the most important issues when it comes to ef- fective patient preselection for referral is exclusion versus inclusion of different diagnoses (Landow et al., 2014; Lim, Oakley, & Rademaker, 2011; Thind, Brooker, & Ormerod, 2011). The most appropriate categories of diagnoses to be referred to Telederm include eczematous dermatitis (van der Heijden, de Keizer, Bos, Spuls, & Witkamp, 2011), papulosquamous disorders, and stable conditions or growths for which a diagnoses is requested (Table 1). Telederm is not appropriate for all dermatologic conditions; for exam- ple, the patient should receive a face-to-face evaluation with a dermatology specialist for any lesion suspected to be mela- noma or skin cancer. Furthermore, there are conditions for FIGURE 1. Store-and-forward teledermatology consult flow which Telederm is absolutely contraindicated, and delay in diagram. treatment could have detrimental effects and thus require face-to-face emergency consult, such as pemphigus or eryth- roderma (Table 2). referring and consultant providers. Moreover, another restriction is that all participants must be available at the same time. TELEDERM SHORTCOMINGS The main limitations of Telederm, especially in SAF, are the WHERE TELEDERM CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ability to provide pointed relevant history and high-quality There are several benefits of Telederm. One is the potential to significantly reduce patient wait time from evaluation TABLE 1. Diagnoses Most Appropriate for to treatment (Bowns, Collins, Walters, & McDonagh, 2006; Teledermatology Consults Ferrandiz et al., 2007; Hsiao & Oh, 2008; Moreno- Eczematous dermatitis (localized atopic, nummular Ramirez et al., 2007; Whited et al., 2002). Another major eczema, contact allergic eczema, seborrhoeic eczema) benefit that Telederm provides to the healthcare system is Papulosquamous disorders (localized lichen planus and improving overall patient access by increasing the number psoriasis, pityriasis rosea) of patients that can be evaluated and treated. For example, a patient with a symptomatic seborrheic keratosis (Figure 2) Acneiform conditions (rosacea, folliculitis, acne vulgaris) could receive evaluation and reassurance by the consultant Intertrigo, tinea cruris/pedis, tinea versicolor dermatologist and then return to the primary care provider Stable growths with an unknown diagnosis for cryotherapy, obviating the need for the patient to utilize Benign tumors (naevi, seborrhoeic warts, sebaceous a face-to-face visit with the dermatologist/DNP. Support- hyperplasia, or other not suspected to be malignant) ing primary care providers in their diagnosis and treatment 286 Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association Copyright © 2014 Dermatology Nurses' Association. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. images to the consultant. What to photograph is critical. TABLE 3. Three Ways to Improve the Continuing medical education in the field of dermatology Effectiveness of Teledermatology is vital for primary care providers for it increases skill, knowl- edge, and aptitude in dermatologic science and conditions Appropriate selection and referral of dermatologic and increases the probability of adequate dermatologic conditions care to patients either from the primary care provider or in High-quality photographic images appropriate referrals for unknown dermatologic disease Efficient infrastructure and culture that supports (Collins, Singer, & Eugster, 2012). Second, image quality innovative virtual care may be compromised by poor lighting conditions, color distortion, and/or excessive pixilation. Each of these may detract or reduce the consultant’s ability to diagnose the patient’s private information and confidentiality. Further- lesions properly. Even if the image quality is excellent, there more, to protect private patient data from becoming available is always the potential for missed lesions that are not imaged to unintended and potential harmful parties, data encryp- or included within the boundaries of the provided image, tion techniques are necessary (Grenier et al., 2009). which could provide vital information to the consultant SUMMARY (Grenier, Bercovitch, & Long, 2009). For example, the primary provider might refer a patient for a stable cafe´- Telederm is a valued aspect of dermatological clinical prac- au-lait macule (but not notice that the patient has four of tice with proven benefits and endless potential. Both SAF these lesions, plus axillary freckling and spots on the iris, and live/real-time Telederm enhance overall patient access, which, as a clinical constellation, would render the patient allow for more efficient patient evaluation and treatment, the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis). Table 3 presents the and reduce