Diagnostic Agreement between Teleconsultation and Clinic-based Consultation in Dermatology

Jang, Sang Jai; Lee, Yong Suk; Chun, Duk Kyu

Abstract

BACKGROUDN: Telemedicine has the potential to reform the delivery system of dermatologic health care.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the concordance and accuracy of diagnosis and the management plan of dermatologist's teleconsultation and traditional clinic-based consultation.
METHODS
Eighty-eight lesions of 77 patients were examined by digital image and clinic-based consultation by one dermatologist. The reliability and accuracy of the dermatologist's diagnoses and the reliability of the management recommendations were compared.
RESULTS
The concordance of diagnosis between telemedicine and clinic-based consultation showed high levels(complete agreement, 92.05%; complete + partial agreement, 97.73%). The agreement on management recommendations was variable. The diagnostic confidence and the image quality affected the agreement.
CONCLUSION
The digital image consultations result in reliable diagnostic outcomes when compared with the traditional clinic-based consultaion. And it is necessary to investigate the accuracy of teledermatology and to identify clinical conditions inappropriate for teleconsultation.