Teledermatology--the requirements of dermatologists in private practice.
Eighty-four dermatologists in private practice in Bavaria were surveyed by postal questionnaire. Of the 45 who responded (a 54% response rate), 96% used a computer in their private practice. Fifty-seven per cent of respondents owned systems with Pentium processors, while 23% were still using 386 or 486 processors. Most of them used the Windows 95, UNIX or Apple operating system. Of the respondents who had a modem, 74% used ISDN. There were few modems connected to the ordinary telephone network. Of all respondents, 56% used email regularly. Several possible teledermatology applications were proposed in the survey (i.e. teleconsultation, on-line/off-line videoconferencing, email attachments). Fifty-six per cent of respondents said that they would perform teleconsultations with dermatology clinics, 40% preferred a teleconsultation via telephone and computer, and 42% sending files via email. The survey demonstrated that a high proportion of dermatologists in private practice would use a teledermatology service.
Department of Dermatology, University of Regensburg, Germany.
A
A
Glaessl
R
R
Schiffner
T
T
Walther
M
M
Landthaler
W
W
Stolz
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003880:Dermatology / Q000379:methods*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011331:Private Practice; D012650:Self Disclosure; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*