title: Teledermatological monitoring of psoriasis patients on biologic therapy.
abstract: Patients with psoriasis who are being treated with biologics require intensive monitoring. However, the monitoring tool teledermatology is not commonly used. We investigated the applicability of a mobile phone based teledermatological system for monitoring psoriasis patients on biologic therapy. Nineteen patients were given mobile phones with built-in cameras, in order to transmit health status data and images (mobile visits) weekly for a 6-month period. Face-to-face visits were carried out at weeks 0, 4, 12 and 24. Image quality, the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), the handling of adverse events, and patients' feedback questionnaires were evaluated. Ninety-five percent of the images were of sufficient quality to enable accurate assessment of the PASI. The distance between the interpolated face-to-face PASIs and the corresponding mobile visit PASIs was 0.46 ± 2.15 (median ± interquartile range). All 155 adverse events were handled correctly by the system. This teledermatological system represents a reliable tool for management of psoriasis patients who are on systemic treatment.
authors: Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Austria. silvia.koller@meduni-graz.at
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Koller
authors: Rainer
authors: R
authors: Hofmann-Wellenhof
authors: Dieter
authors: D
authors: Hayn
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Weger
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Kastner
authors: Günter
authors: G
authors: Schreier
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Salmhofer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001317:Austria; D001691:Biological Therapy; D040421:Cell Phone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010781:Photography; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C472181:efalizumab