matology may account for up to 20% of post-COVID-19 patient visits. Although unclear why EAs expect decreased future teledermatology usage, this may be relative to expected in-person visit increases following further COVID-19 restriction easements.
Increased (LI) teledermatology usage denotes a significant shift in dermatology practice.1,4 LI may provide a sustainable method of managing well-controlled/chronic inflammatory dermatoses (eg, patient visits that may only need prescription refills).2,6 While teledermatology alone may be increasingly compatible with medical dermatology, it may not currently suffice for visits requiring procedures, even common ones such as dermoscopy or biopsy. High-risk skin cancer patients may be inordinately affected as COVID-19 already delayed the timely diagnosis/ management of a significant proportion of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers, highlighting the need to adapt and innovate cancer diagnosis and management tools to the virtual space.1,6
Limitations include the study's retrospective nature and response bias given limited NA/rural respondents, though data represented multiple geographic locations, YoE, and practice settings.
Future studies should seek to investigate how financial, logistic, and medical barriers including geographic constraints surrounding licensing requirements, triaging initial and return patient visits to in-person or virtual visits, and usage of complementary tools during teledermatology visits to augment and maximize appropriate use may affect equitable access to dermatological care.
DISCLOSURES
JWM is a 2021-2022 Telehealth Fellow with Doximity, Inc and
has served as an advisory board member for Doximity, Inc. MA,
GHL, DZ, SP, and DSR have no relevant disclosures or conflicts
of interest.
REFERENCES
1. Asabor EN, Bunick CG, Cohen JM, Perkins SH. Patient and physician perspectives on teledermatology at an academic dermatology department amid the COVID-19 pandemic. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021;84(1):158-161. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.09.029
2. Zachrison KS, Yan Z, Samuels-Kalow ME, Licurse A, Zuccotti G, Schwamm LH. Association of physician characteristics with early adoption of virtual health care. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(12):e2141625. Published 2021 Dec 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.41625
3. Eberly LA, Kallan MJ, Julien HM, et al. Patient characteristics associated with telemedicine access for primary and specialty ambulatory care during the covid-19 pandemic [published correction appears in JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e211913]. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(12):e2031640. Published 2020 Dec 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.31640
4. Ehrlich A, Kostecki J, Olkaba H. Trends in dermatology practices and the implications for the workforce. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017;77(4):746-752. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2017.06.030
5. Marson JW, Litchman GH, Rigel DS. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on physician-pharmaceutical office-based interactions. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(2):215-223. doi:10.36849/JDD.5651
6. Marson JW, Maner BS, Harding TP, et al. The magnitude of COVID-19's effect on the timely management of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021;84(4):1100-1103. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.12.065
2. Zachrison KS, Yan Z, Samuels-Kalow ME, Licurse A, Zuccotti G, Schwamm LH. Association of physician characteristics with early adoption of virtual health care. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(12):e2141625. Published 2021 Dec 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.41625
3. Eberly LA, Kallan MJ, Julien HM, et al. Patient characteristics associated with telemedicine access for primary and specialty ambulatory care during the covid-19 pandemic [published correction appears in JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e211913]. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(12):e2031640. Published 2020 Dec 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.31640
4. Ehrlich A, Kostecki J, Olkaba H. Trends in dermatology practices and the implications for the workforce. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017;77(4):746-752. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2017.06.030
5. Marson JW, Litchman GH, Rigel DS. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on physician-pharmaceutical office-based interactions. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(2):215-223. doi:10.36849/JDD.5651
6. Marson JW, Maner BS, Harding TP, et al. The magnitude of COVID-19's effect on the timely management of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021;84(4):1100-1103. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.12.065
AUTHOR CORRESPONDENCE
Justin W. Marson MD justin.w.marson@gmail.com
