A randomized controlled trial to assess the clinical effectiveness of both realtime and store-and-forward teledermatology compared with conventional care.
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Date
2000-05-25
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Abstract
The clinical effectiveness of realtime teledermatology store and forward teledermatology and conventional outpatient dermatological care were evaluated in a randomized control trial A total of 204 patients took part 102 patients were randomized to the realtime teledermatology consultation 96 of whose cases were also referred using a store and forward technique and 102 to the conventional outpatient consultation There were no differences in the reported clinical outcomes of realtime teledermatology and conventional dermatology Of those randomized to the realtime teledermatology consultation 46 required at least one subsequent hospital appointment compared with 45 of those randomized to the conventional outpatient consultation In contrast the dermatologist requested a subsequent hospital appointment for 69 of those seen by store and forward teledermatology An analysis of costs showed that realtime teledermatology was clinically feasible but more expensive than conventional care while the store and forward teledermatology consultation was less expensive but its clinical usefulness was limited Sensitivity analysis indicated that realtime teledermatology was as economical as conventional care when less artificial assumptions were made about equipment utilization costs and travel distances to hospital