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

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

in preferences for telemedicine use, with more experienced physicians desiring in-person contact for patient care. This suggests that younger physicians may be more likely to use and prefer telemedicine, which could implicate the future growth of telemedicine as it shapes the future landscape of medical practice. Our study also suggests that dermatologists' largest concern with telemedicine is its physical exam limitations, which is consistent with prior research.3 

Limitations to this study include its retrospective nature and limited sample size, though data represented multiple geographic locations, years of practice, and practice settings. Future studies resulting in economic incentives and telemedicine training may help to overcome barriers to using telehealth. 

DISCLOSURES

JWM, JB, RB, JD, NK, CK, LS, BM, AO, and NY are 2021-2022 Telehealth Fellow with Doximity, Inc. JWM, RB, JD, NK, and AO have served as advisory board member for Doximity, Inc. MA, GHL, DZ, SP, and DSR have no relevant conflicts of interest or disclosures.

IRB approval status: Reviewed and granted exempt status by #Pro00060440 by Advarra

REFERENCES

  1. Mehrotra A, Chernew M, Linetsky D, et al. What impact has COVID-19 had on outpatient visits? https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2020/apr/impact-covid-19-outpatient-visits. Accessed September 9, 2022. 
  2. Zachrison KS, Yan Z, Samuels-Kalow ME, et al. 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. Asabor EN, Bunick CG, Cohen JM, et al. 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
  4. Ahmad M, Marson JW, Litchman GH, et al. Usage and perceptions of teledermatology in 2021: a survey of dermatologists. Int J Dermatol. 2022;61(7):e235-e237. doi:10.1111/ijd.16209
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  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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

Clarence Kong MD CKong1@northwell.edu
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