Effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy of teledermatology for the assessment of skin conditions.
Australas J Dermatol
; 65(4): 342-349, 2024 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38421885
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Teledermatology provides a platform for swift specialist advice without the potential need for face-to-face review. Our objectives were to investigate the effectiveness, accuracy and diagnostic concordance of the platform with regard to the remote management of skin conditions.METHODS:
We undertook a single-centre, retrospective chart review over a 1-year period, comprising a total of 1703 teledermatology referrals. Two physicians independently assessed the diagnostic concordance between telederm diagnosis (TD), in-person diagnosis (ID) and histopathological diagnosis (HD).RESULTS:
There were a total of 1703 TD referrals, of which 341 were rejected, leaving 1362 referrals for evaluation. Sixty-five per cent of these referrals were managed remotely and discharged with advice, although 4.6% of these were later re-referred for an in-person review. A total of 20% of referrals were rejected, of which the majority was due to a lack of appropriate imaging. The total concordance of TD compared to ID was 76.4%. When comparing the TD and ID/HD, we obtained a Kappa value of 0.636 indicating substantial agreement. In terms of accuracy, there were 49 biopsy-proven skin cancers picked up by the service in this cohort of data. Of these, 61.2% were given an accurate diagnosis on first impression via teledermatology, 14.3% were given a different diagnosis but correctly categorised as skin cancer and 24.5% could not be assessed; however, they were triaged and escalated based upon clinical suspicion.CONCLUSION:
Our study demonstrates that teledermatology is an effective platform in terms of diagnosis and remote management, with adequate diagnostic accuracy and concordance to in-person diagnosis.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Temas:
ECOS
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Aspectos_gerais
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Encaminhamento e Consulta
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Dermatopatias
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Telemedicina
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Dermatologia
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Aged80
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Australas J Dermatol
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido