Experience of Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Clinics Patients with Teledermatology Amidst the Coronavirus Disease Lockdown: Cross-sectional Survey (Preprint)

Abstract

Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery (ADCS) is a practice with over 4.7 million dermatology patients, 350 providers, and 140 offices nationwide. During the coronavirus disease-19 lockdown all but 16 offices were closed, and the electronic medical record was integrated with video teledermatology.

Although the pandemic has allowed for the exploration and enhancement of these services, robust studies of teledermatology are warranted to ensure optimal delivery of high-quality care while minimizing COVID-19 exposure. The purpose of this study is to identify determine the current knowledge of, utilization of, and sentiment about teledermatology in patients that have recently had the opportunity to use some modality to have a virtual encounter. Other aims include to explore the factors that deter patients from using teledermatology during and after the COVID-19 lockdown, and to elucidate the advantages and limitations that need to be addressed moving forward.

An anonymous internet-based survey was distributed to adult ADCS Clinics patients who signed consent to accept email communication via Qualtrics. Based on patient participation in teledermatology, the survey had up to 62 questions that evaluated patient utilization and sentiment of the various technologies involved in teledermatology visits both during and after the COVID-19 lockdown.

The mean general satisfaction rating with teledermatology was 7.48 during and 7.92 after the lockdown, with 10 being very satisfied. Patients were somewhat satisfied with several aspects of teledermatology including convenience, simplicity, how well the concern was addressed, security, follow-up, and photo transmission. Patient satisfaction with how well their concern was addressed and with the security of their data was significantly greater after the lockdown compared to during, which was determined using an independent samples t-test with statistical significance at p < 0.05. Most patients utilized live video interaction both during and after the pandemic.

Overall, patients are satisfied with teledermatology and believe that it improves the provision of health services. The factors addressed can continue to be enhanced to facilitate optimal service delivery while minimizing COVID-19 exposure.