Acceptance of Teledermoscopy by General Practitioners and Dermatologists in Denmark

Background: Teledermoscopy can be used to triage referrals of suspected skin cancers, thereby reducing waiting time and number of face-to-face consultations with a dermatologist. However, the success of the implementation of this technology in part relies on the acceptance of the providers. Objec...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tine Vestergaard, Merethe K. Andersen, Anette Bygum
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mattioli1885 2021-04-01
Series:Dermatology Practical & Conceptual
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dpcj.org/index.php/dpc/article/view/1497
Description
Summary:Background: Teledermoscopy can be used to triage referrals of suspected skin cancers, thereby reducing waiting time and number of face-to-face consultations with a dermatologist. However, the success of the implementation of this technology in part relies on the acceptance of the providers. Objectives: This study assessed the attitudes towards teledermoscopy of referring general practitioners and consultant dermatologists. Methods: General practitioners from 48 practices and 3 dermatologists in the region of Southern Denmark, who had previous experience with teledermoscopy, were invited to answer questionnaires on their acceptance of the technology. Results: General practitioners from 23 practices responded. All domains of the questionnaire received high scores, indicating a high degree of acceptance of teledermoscopy among respondents. All 3 dermatologists agreed that teledermoscopy was useful for triaging referrals, but they were less confident in their diagnoses and management plans proposed by teledermoscopy than in traditional face-to-face evaluations of patients. Two of the 3 dermatologists were satisfied with using teledermoscopy as a consult method. Conclusions: This study reports high levels of provider acceptance of teledermoscopy. However, a low response rate among general practitioners may limit its generalizability.
ISSN:2160-9381