Fungal Infections among Teledermatology Consultations in Dermatology Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Teledermatology provides virtual consultation to patients using telecommunication technology. Using this method dermatologists can diagnose a condition with the help of pictures of the lesions and short history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, practicing this method has become more relevant. Providing teleconsultations to patients with fungal skin infections can prevent inadvertent use of topical corticosteroids. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence of fungal infections among teledermatology consultations done in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study where the store and forward and real-time methods were used between February 2020 to July 2020. Ethical clearance was taken from the institutional review board (reference number: 245). Data of those patients who wanted consultations from this department were sent by medical officers deployed in military hospitals that are under the central army hospital located in Kathmandu. Convenient sampling was used. The collected data was entered and analyzed in the Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 20. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage for binary data. Results: A total of 451 (33.45%) (30.93-35.97 at 95% Confidence Interval) were diagnosed with fungal infections out of 1348 patients who were enrolled for the study. About 361 (80%) of the patients suffering from fungal infections belonged to the Terai region and 90 (20%) belonged to mountainous areas. Conclusions: The prevalence of fungal infection among teledermatology consultation was lower than the findings from a similar international study.