INTRODUCTION
The novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically changed many aspects of our society, particularly our healthcare system. Social distancing guidelines and “stay-at-home†orders have led to a shift from in-office care to virtual telehealth care in order to reduce disease transmission as well as protect patients and healthcare workers from exposure. The CDC reported a 154% increase in telehealth visits during the last week of March 2020 compared to the same time one year prior.1 The impact of COVID-19 on telehealth use specifically in dermatology has yet to be reported.
Dermatology has already seen continuous growth in the usage of telehealth modalities over the past decade. For instance, Flaten et al. found that the number of dermatology mobile applications increased by 80.8% from 2014 to 2018 to a total of 526, paralleling the increasing prevalence of mobile phone ownership in the United States.2 Telehealth in dermatology, or teledermatology, boasts a number of benefits including increased access to care, cost benefits for patients, convenience, and perhaps most importantly during the COVID-19 pandemic: absence of physical contact.3 A systematic review of 204 studies found teledermatology to be a reliable consultation tool and that telehealth services in dermatology were widely accepted as valid for patient care.4
There are a number of barriers which limit teledermatology, however. These include, but are not limited to, issues with provider reimbursement, privacy and security concerns, appropriate image acquisition, appropriate provider training, and challenges with integration into patients’ official medical records.5 The federal government has made telehealth services easier to implement and access for providers and patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency, suggesting the benefits of widespread telehealth usage far outweigh the risks and pitfalls.6
In order to evaluate patient satisfaction of teledermatology during the COVID-19 pandemic, we released an online
Dermatology has already seen continuous growth in the usage of telehealth modalities over the past decade. For instance, Flaten et al. found that the number of dermatology mobile applications increased by 80.8% from 2014 to 2018 to a total of 526, paralleling the increasing prevalence of mobile phone ownership in the United States.2 Telehealth in dermatology, or teledermatology, boasts a number of benefits including increased access to care, cost benefits for patients, convenience, and perhaps most importantly during the COVID-19 pandemic: absence of physical contact.3 A systematic review of 204 studies found teledermatology to be a reliable consultation tool and that telehealth services in dermatology were widely accepted as valid for patient care.4
There are a number of barriers which limit teledermatology, however. These include, but are not limited to, issues with provider reimbursement, privacy and security concerns, appropriate image acquisition, appropriate provider training, and challenges with integration into patients’ official medical records.5 The federal government has made telehealth services easier to implement and access for providers and patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency, suggesting the benefits of widespread telehealth usage far outweigh the risks and pitfalls.6
In order to evaluate patient satisfaction of teledermatology during the COVID-19 pandemic, we released an online
