Patient and physician outcomes of a store‐and‐forward teledermatology application in Germany

Abstract

Dear Editor, Telemedicine has become increasingly crucial for the management of skin diseases worldwide, offering added benefits through remote healthcare solutions. 1 In store-and-forward (S&F) teledermatology, patients submit disease information and images of their skin findings for asynchronous evaluation by a dermatologist. 2 Several studies, though few on implemented S&F solutions, 3,4 demonstrate high satisfaction, concordance, cost-effectiveness and therapeutic efficiency 3-10 of teledermatology.We evaluated a recently established, publicly accessible S&F teledermatology application (www.derma 2go.com) for satisfaction, usability and benefit. The application follows the German guidance on teledermatology 11 and is directly paid for by the patients.The evaluation included two approaches:1. Data generated through the S&F application were analysed, including patient demographics, medical status, medical history, diagnostic findings, therapeutic measures and process data. 2. Standardized surveys were conducted on all patients and physicians after consultation: Patients treated by derma2go were surveyed on satisfaction, feasibility, acceptance and benefits immediately after receiving the physician's response (t1) and 3 weeks later (t2). Patients who started but cancelled a request were asked for the reasons. The operating physicians were requested to assess their rating towards the benefit and feasibility of the application after each consultation (t1).