First Study of Teledermatology in Mexico. A New Public Health Tool [Primer Estudio de Teledermatología en México. Una Nueva Herramienta de Salud Pública]
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abstract
Background: Telemedicine has been used for more than 50 years. Dermatology has been one of the specialties where it has reached great development (Teledermatology). When the observation is made simultaneously by the outreach specialist and by the non-specialist at the workplace, it is called synchronous teledermatology, and asynchronous when information is filmed, stored, and presented to the specialist at a later time. Objective: To evaluate efficacy and reliability of asynchronous teledermatology for adequate diagnosis of skin diseases. Methods: Fifty patients with dermatologic disorders were seen in a poor tropical rural zone, first by non-dermatologists in conventional consultation and then by dermatologists to obtain a diagnosis (gold standard); the latter step consisted of evaluation of filmed lesions by another group of dermatologist later on. Results: There was a high concordance of diagnosis between the two groups of dermatologists when kappa analysis was performed. Conclusion: It appears important to use these technological advances in developing-countries to improve delivery of health care.
