The coronavirus pandemic has profoundly shaken the medical sector, all over the world. Social distancing is key to stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus, and it applies to all hospitals and healthcare centers. However, social distancing has a negative effect on medical consultations, especially for situations that are not considered emergencies.
Because face-to-face medical consultations are problematic during this period and cannot be done without compromising on social distancing measures, telemedicine has grown exponentially. Until now, telemedicine, even though used by some doctors, was not popular. It was often used in remote areas, particularly in poorer countries, where access to a doctor or a hospital is difficult. Now, telemedicine is an effective way of providing basic medical services to patients. The application of telemedicine in the context of dermatology is known as teledermatology or virtual dermatology. Teledermatology services are provided by dermatologists across the country, via teleconference. Dermatology is particularly suitable for telemedicine, as it is a visual medical specialty.
How will telemedicine change how dermatologists work? How will virtual dermatology help patients?
Many dermatology offices in the United States are closed or are working under limited hours. Patients can make appointments only if their situation is serious. However, patients need to get their regular, routine treatment. Similarly, follow-up visits, consultations, and prescription refills have to be provided to patients, even during the pandemic. However, many patients are afraid of going to a dermatologist's office, to the emergency room or urgent care, where the risk of exposure to the viral infection is high. As a result, many patients choose to postpone, delay, reschedule, or cancel their dermatology visits, even in serious situations. Unfortunately, this has a profound impact on long-term patient care. Similarly, dermatology practices are suffering financially, as revenues have dropped dramatically during this period.
Because of these factors, thousands of patients and dermatologists are learning how to use teledermatology services for the first time. Some physicians are skeptical about technology, and this is perfectly normal. However, modern technology has improved immensely over the past few decades and allows excellent video communication between patients and doctors. Telemedicine can be done via multiple communication channels, such as emails, text messages, audio/phone calls, or video communication.
Although telemedicine has immense advantages for dermatologists and their patients, there are several potential downsides:
- there can be various in-person privacy concerns that may be non-compliant with HIPAA standards
- technical issues can alter the communication between a patient and the dermatologist
- time management issues can also occur; for instance, both the dermatologist and the patient must be available or adhere to a given time
- problems with patient records and billing can occur
- security concerns can be a problem; for instance, unwanted calls or texts can negatively interact with the appointment
On the other hand, technology can be very beneficial for telemedicine, especially when it comes to dermatology. What's more, technology continues to improve, and smartphone cameras have the ability to take high-quality photos. High-speed internet connections also allow excellent communication between patients and doctors. What's more, new video conference software allows older devices and methods to be customized and improved, meeting teledermatology needs.
New rules are designed to help dermatologists care for their patients. For instance, telehealth guidelines have been relaxed to help fill the gap during the coronavirus pandemic. The most important changes are centered around HIPAA regulations. For example, The Office for Civil Rights under the US Department of Health and Human Services have changed several provisions regarding privacy, breach notification and security. The changes are designed to protect health care providers from penalties that can occur during telemedicine sessions. In addition, doctors and other health care professionals can provide medical services via telemedicine across state lines, without any limitations. This means that a patient located in Florida can be consulted via videoconference by his dermatologist located in Texas. Billing is also allowed and may be calculated at parity for an office visit.
Even though telemedicine is important during this period and rules are designed to help healthcare providers, there are several factors dermatologists should take into consideration. Although HIPAA rules were relaxed, providers should be concerned with protecting a patient's privacy and security. Doctors should carefully choose the type of interaction – SF vs. live interactive. Usually, live interactive communication is not suitable for virtual dermatology services. Simply put, SF communication lets dermatologists receive high-definition photographs, which provides more information during a consultation. Live interactive communication usually provides low-quality videos, which are not useful during consultations. Live interactive communication comes with another disadvantage – both the dermatologist and the patient must be available at the same time during the consultation, and they have to have access to a high-quality internet connection.
What will the future look like for teledermatology services? What can we expect?
Dermatology, like many other medical specialties, will be severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Some experts suggest that teledermatology will change this medical specialty, similarly to how video technology changed the business environment. Dermatology consultations will be very similar to a business meeting done via videoconference. The only differences are the participants and the message.
No matter the limitations caused by the pandemic, patients need to get their prescriptions and have to get professional medical services. Providers have to learn how to use teledermatology and help patients understand its immense benefits: convenience for the patients, ability to care for patients remotely and in real-time, ability to fulfill basic medical services, like prescriptions, regular visits and drug recommendations. Aesthetic practices will also be able to use telemedicine for online consultations. Patients can attend virtual visits, learn more about their situation and their healing process.
Technology has improved immensely and there are multiple software packages designed to help health care providers. There are multiple tools that combine high-quality SF photographs with powerful live interaction communication. Some platforms are designed specifically for telemedicine services and include general and aesthetic dermatology information for patients.
