Review of teleconsultations for dermatologic diseases.
BACKGROUND
Telemedicine has been increasingly used in some areas to provide consultation for isolated populations that might otherwise have difficulty accessing specialty care. Little information exists on what types of patients or diseases are being seen in dermatology telemedicine consultation services.


OBJECTIVE
To review our consultations done over a regional telemedicine network with an emphasis on looking at what type of patient, cutaneous diseases, and diagnostic or therapeutic recommendations were made.


RESULTS
Between August 1992 and December 1997, 796 teleconsultations were done. The most common diagnoses made were eczemas, follicular based diseases, skin infections, and skin tumours. Steroids were the most commonly recommended therapy, along with antibiotics, antihistamines, and antifungal therapy. Diagnostic recommendations commonly made were a skin biopsy and potassium hydroxide preparation.


CONCLUSIONS
Common skin problems were seen by our dermatology teleconsultation service. A significant number of diagnostic biopsies and potassium hydroxide preparations were recommended. The efficacy of telemedicine in the delivery of dermatologic care is reviewed.
Phillips
C M
CM
East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.
Burke
W A
WA
Bergamo
B
B
Mofrad
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D011329:Prisoners; D019114:Remote Consultation; D012424:Rural Population; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy