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9th World Congress of Teledermatology, Imaging and AI for Skin Diseases - Abstracts (2021) (40)

Published on in Vol 8, No 1 (2022): Jan-Dec

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/36900, first published .
Teledermatology: Experience in Singapore

Teledermatology: Experience in Singapore

Teledermatology: Experience in Singapore

Authors of this article:

Eugene Sern-Ting Tan1 Author Orcid Image
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    Abstract

    National Skin Centre, Singapore, Singapore

    Corresponding Author:

    Eugene Sern-Ting Tan, MBBS

    National Skin Centre

    1 Mandalay Rd,

    Singapore, 308205

    Singapore

    Phone: 65 6350 6666

    Email: eugenetan@nsc.com.sg


    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development and widespread adoption of teledermatology both locally and globally. As dermatology is predominantly a visual specialty, teledermatology is particularly useful for patient care and collaboration between health care professionals.

    Objective: To share lessons learned from the local experience with teledermatology in Singapore.

    Methods: The main models of teledermatology are asynchronous (store-and-forward), synchronous (real-time communication), and hybrid teledermatology (mixed combination of both asynchronous and synchronous elements).

    Results: During the pandemic, teledermatology has enabled suitable patients to have continued access to clinical care in the comfort of their home, while at the same time supporting safe distancing measures to mitigate exposure to and spread of SARS-CoV-2. At the National Skin Centre in Singapore, asynchronous store-and-forward teledermatology is used for telecollaboration with doctors and nurses from external health care institutions, nursing homes, and primary care clinics. A hybrid model comprising synchronous phone or video teleconsultation with the patient, together with review of recent clinical photographs submitted by the patient, is used for the remote care of selected patients with mild and/or stable dermatological conditions. There is a high diagnostic concordance of 87% between teleconsultation and in-person consultation. As not all patients are suitable for teleconsultation, preteleconsultation triage is helpful.

    Conclusions: Moving forward, even as we approach a new postpandemic era, teledermatology will continue to evolve and become an integral pillar of the health care landscape.

    Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

    iproc 2022;8(1):e36900

    doi:10.2196/36900

    Keywords

    teledermatology; teleconsultation; synchronous; asynchronous; store-and-forward; hybrid; Singapore 

    Edited by T Derrick; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 28.01.22; accepted 28.01.22; published 21.02.22

    Copyright

    ©Eugene Sern-Ting Tan. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 21.02.2022.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.