Digital Future as an Opportunity - Practical Experiences with Teledermatology

Background Improved regulatory conditions and the corona pandemic as a catalyst for digitization in the health system have resulted in a comprehensive range of telemedicine providers. Dermatology cases make a third of all these digital consultations. The concepts of those teledermatological services vary greatly depending on the provider. But the differences, as well as the advantages and disadvantages, are often not apparent to both doctors and patients. Objectives The aim of the article is therefore to provide an overview of the forms and current areas of application of teledermatology. In addition, the possibilities of telemedicine in dermatology are to be classified and exemplarily described based on the authors' personal experience with a dermatological telemedicine portal developed by the author. Materials and methods To illustrate teledermatology in Germany, an overview was created that includes current national and international studies and surveys on the use of teledermatology. The exemplary presentation of asynchronous teledermatology using the service of the platform "OnlineDoctor" is based on qualitative interviews between the authors and participating dermatologists as well as publicly available product information. Results In most dermatological cases, a high concordance of diagnosis and patient satisfaction can be seen using teledermatological applications. The benefits have been evaluated both in the context of diagnosis and in the care of chronic patients and triaging. The various teledermatological procedures show major differences, particularly in regard to synchronous and asynchronous telemedicine. The advantages of asynchronous teledermatology are seen in the flexibility in terms of time and location, as well as the wide range of cases and medical indications. Care data from the everyday life of the two authors support the statement that teledermatology has positive effects for patients and practices while maintaining the same medical quality. Conclusion Teledermatology has the potential to improve processes in practices and to work closer with the patient. Through patient-centered medicine a form of patient empowerment can be achieved and should be strived for. Therefor the possibilities of digital applications should be used. The authors assume that both the indications that can be diagnosed via telemedicine and the fields of application will expand in the coming years. The future will enable further individualization of the digital services. The combined use of digital tools and on-site examinations will become the gold standard.