Teledermatology in the times of COVID-19 - a systematic review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic restricts the care of dermatological patients in many ways. Teledermatology such as video consultation or "store-and-forward" teledermatology could at least partly compensate for this. This systematic review summarizes all published studies on teledermatology during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on a MEDLINE search for articles from 2020 in English and German. Two surveys among dermatologists from the USA and India showed that more than 80 % offered teledermatology. Among German dermatologists 17.5 % of 480 respondents offered online video consultation, 11.3 % offline consultation (store and forward) and 10.0 % both. Five cohort studies on teledermatology during the pandemic were identified. Three of them investigated teledermatology in chronic dermatoses (acne, inflammatory skin diseases), one dealt with the care of oncological patients with dermatological complications, and one analyzed teleconsultation in suspected COVID-19 cases. In all studies, teledermatology largely reduced the number of personal consultations. The results indicate that the limitations of personal dermatological care of patients with skin diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic can be at least partially compensated by an extension of teledermatology. Findings from the use of teledermatology during the pandemic should be employed to improve the use and acceptance of teledermatology by patients and dermatologists.