Telemedicine Versus Teledermatology Usage and Perception Among US-Based Physicians: A Survey Study

November 2023 | Volume 22 | Issue 11 | e4 | Copyright © November 2023


Published online October 19, 2023

doi:10.36849/JDD.7386e

Maham Ahmad BAa*, Justin W. Marson MDb*, Graham H. Litchman DO MSc, Danny Zakria MD MBAd, Clarence Kong MDe, Sara Perkins MDa, Jennifer Bepple MDf, Reed Berger MD PNSg, James DuRant MDh, Kelly Hagerich MD MPHi, Nicolas Kahl MDj, Laika Simeon-Thompson MDk, Brian McSteen MDl, Adesuwa Okesanya MDm, Nathan Yung MD MSn, Darrell S. Rigel MD MSo

aDepartment of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 
bDepartment of Dermatology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY
cDepartment of Dermatology, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, Far Rockaway, NY
dNational Society for Cutaneous Medicine, New York, NY 
eDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY
fChesapeake Urology, Baltimore, MD
gDepartment of Medicine, University of Illinois Health, Chicago, IL
hNovant Health – Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Charlotte, NC
iVA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
jDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Diego Health, San Diego, CA
kDepartment of Psychiatry, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Zucker Hillside Hospital, New Hyde Park, NY
lDepartment of Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY
mSummit Health, Berkeley Heights, NJ
nDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of California San Diego Health, San Diego, CA
oDepartment of Dermatology, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY

*Co-First Authors

Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an increase in focus and use of telemedicine in several patient care settings. This survey study was distributed to actively practicing US-based physicians and examines telehealth use 2 years after the beginning of the COVID pandemic from a physician’s perspective. Notable findings include telehealth benefits which include increased patient access and the ability to work from home. A continued drawback in telehealth visits is the limitations on a complete physical examination, a drawback that was emphasized by the dermatology community. While this study sheds light on the developing nature of telehealth, it is limited by its retrospective nature and sample size. Future research with larger sample sizes focusing on economic incentives and telemedicine training may help to overcome barriers to using telehealth. 

J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(11):e4-e8    doi:10.36849/JDD.7386e

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a significant shift in patient care marked by increased telemedicine use.1 Studies have described not only the perception, usage, and implementation of teledermatology but also the variation around telemedicine adoption based on physician and patient demographics.2-5 However, few studies have quantified physicians' perspectives of telemedicine especially across multiple specialties and regions of the US. This study serves as an update to prior research by examining the implementation of telemedicine among US-based physicians several years after the COVID-19 pandemic began.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A pre-validated anonymous survey was distributed to open social networking groups comprised of actively practicing US-based physicians. Categorical data was analyzed via SPSS (version 28.0.0) using chi-square based upon years in practice, practice type, specialty (surgical versus non-surgical, dermatologist versus non-dermatologist), and region of the US to assess the appropriateness of telemedicine and modalities used (eg, phone, store-and-forward [SAF], video, video with image). If the results were significant, adjusted residuals were determined. For Likert scale questions, results were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.
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