Impact of store-and-forward (SAF) teledermatology on outpatient dermatologic care: A prospective study in an underserved urban primary care setting

Background: The clinical value of teledermatology in the primary care setting remains relatively unknown.

Objective: We sought to determine the impact of teledermatology on outpatient diagnosis, management, and access to dermatologic care in a resource-poor primary care setting.

Methods: We performed a prospective study of store-and-forward teledermatology consults submitted between January and November 2013 from 11 underserved clinics in Philadelphia to the University of Pennsylvania using mobile devices and the Internet. We assessed diagnostic and management concordance between primary care providers and dermatologists, time to consult completion, anticipated level of dermatology input in the absence of teledermatology, and number of consults managed with teledermatology alone.

Results: The study included 196 consults encompassing 206 dermatologic conditions. Diagnoses and management plans of primary care providers and dermatologists were fully concordant for 22% and 23% of conditions, respectively. The median time to consult completion was 14 (interquartile range 3-28) hours. At least 61% of consults would not otherwise have received dermatology input, and 77% of consults were managed with teledermatology alone.

Limitations: Lack of a diagnostic gold standard, limited patient follow-up, and uncertain generalizability are limitations.

Conclusion: Teledermatology is an innovative and impactful modality for delivering dermatologic care to outpatients in resource-poor primary care settings.