Introduction
The demand for dermatologic consultations has increased worldwide, especially in rural areas where patients must travel long distances to access a dermatologist. Teledermatology (TD) emerges as a tool to expand care to these areas. In Ecuador, Telemedicine began in 2008, and in 2022 Hospital General Docente Calderón (HGDC) implemented a pilot plan in Dermatology, although its impact had not been evaluated.
Materials and methods
Retrospective observational descriptive study to evaluate the results of the TD program at HGDC since its implementation (October 2022–July 2024). Sociodemographic and clinical variables collected from all patients seen from the anonymized database of the MD-SOS system were analyzed. This is a minimal risk study approved by the ethics committee of the HGDC.
Results
40 patients were attended using the synchronous videoconference model (Zoom platform), 25 women (62%) with an average age of 43 years. The most prevalent pathologies were benign skin tumors (25%), such as seborrheic keratosis (12.5%), followed by pityriasis versicolor (8%), psoriasis vulgaris (8%) and lichen simplex chronicus (8%). Thirty percent were seen exclusively by TD, while 70% required face-to-face evaluation, with a waiting time ranging from one week to 3 months. Diagnostic concordance was 88.9%.
Conclusions
TD made it possible to keep patients at the first level of care, reduced waiting time for specialized care, and saved time for patients by avoiding their double transfer to the hospital. Although TD has not been fully utilized, it is recommended that its implementation be expanded to benefit more people.
扫码关注我们
求助内容:
应助结果提醒方式:
