Improving Access to Care Through the Establishment of a Local, Teledermatology Network

A Framework-Driven Systematic Review of the Barriers and Facilitators to Teledermatology Implementation

“…In terms of facilitators, relative to in-person care, teledermatology consultations were more efficient and convenient and involved less travel and wait-time for patients [ 3 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 47 , 48 , 53 , 56 – 58 , 60 , 61 ]. Teledermatology also offers better access to care [ 41 , 44 , 51 , 52 , 55 ] at a lower cost [ 52 , 60 ].…”

“…Secondly, service reimbursement concerns were reported as barriers to teledermatology implementation for all stakeholders in several studies. Patients, primary care providers, and dermatologists raised concerns and reported challenges about obtaining reimbursement for teledermatology consultations [ 3 , 37 , 43 – 45 , 47 , 54 , 56 , 62 ]. Lastly, primary care providers and dermatologists reported concerns with liability and privacy issues (e.g., data security) associated with teledermatology [ 43 , 45 , 47 , 52 , 54 , 55 ].…”

“…Teledermatology also offers better access to care [41,44,51,52,55] at a lower cost [52,60]. Teledermatology technologies were reported to be useful ways to improve both patients' and primary care providers' knowledge and management of skin disorders [3,36,39,41,52,60]. Technology user friendliness was also reported to facilitate teledermatology implementation in some studies [37,41,42,44,56,57,59,60].…”

“…Factors within this domain were reported to be a facilitator in 4 studies (13%) and no studies reported barriers within this domain. The implementation of teledermatology was positively influenced by involving individuals with teledermatology experience from outside of the organization [3,63], the presence of supportive opinion leaders [55], careful planning of the implementation procedure and technology [63], and the inclusion of steps to solicit users' feedback and monitoring implementation [63].…”

“…Compared to in-person clinic visits, telemedicine reduces geographic and financial barriers to healthcare access, increases convenience, lowers visit costs, and facilitates case triaging and scheduling [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Telemedicine has become particularly important during the recent COVID-19 pandemic because it facilitates patient monitoring while reducing transmission and exposure risks [10].…”