title: A comparative study of teleconsultations versus face-to-face consultations.
abstract: We compared the diagnoses made by one dermatologist via telemedicine with those of another dermatologist made in a face-to-face consultation. The patients first underwent a teledermatology consultation and then a face-to-face consultation. A general practitioner was present with the patient in the videoconference studio. Videoconferencing equipment connected at 384 kbit/s was used. The doctor-patient relationship and the satisfaction of the patients and dermatologists in the two settings were assessed, as well as technical conditions during the videoconferences. There were 121 patients, with a mean age of 40 years (range 17-82 years). There was a high degree of concordance between the two sets of diagnoses, with 72% complete agreement and 14% partial agreement between the two dermatologists. A total of 116 patients (96% of those included) completed a questionnaire. Both the patients and the dermatologists were in general satisfied with the videoconferences. Videoconferencing with a participating general practitioner may be useful in dermatology, but the technique should be used only for selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. eli.nordal@ulleval.no
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Nordal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moseng
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kvammen
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Løchen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018579:Patient Selection; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014741:Video Recording / Q000592:standards