Acceptance of Telemedicine Compared to In-Person Consultation From the Providers' and Users' Perspectives: Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study in Dermatology

Lara Valeska Maul; Anna Sophie Jahn; Gustavo S P Pamplona; Markus Streit; Lorena Gantenbein; Simon Müller; Mia-Louise Nielsen; Christian Greis; Alexander A Navarini; Julia-Tatjana Maul

doi:10.2196/45384

Acceptance of Telemedicine Compared to In-Person Consultation From the Providers' and Users' Perspectives: Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study in Dermatology

JMIR Dermatol. 2023 Aug 11:6:e45384. doi: 10.2196/45384.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
² Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital/Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
³ Rehabilitation Engineering Laboratory (RELab), Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Dermatology, Cantonal Hospital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland.
⁵ Department of Dermatology, Copenhagen University Hospital-Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

PMID: 37582265
PMCID: PMC10457706
DOI: 10.2196/45384

Abstract

Background: Teledermatology is currently finding its place in modern health care worldwide as a rapidly evolving field.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptance of teledermatology compared to in-person consultation from the perspective of patients and professionals.

Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional pilot study was performed at secondary and tertiary referral centers of dermatology in Switzerland from August 2019 to January 2020. A customized questionnaire addressing demographics and educational data, experience with telemedicine, and presumed willingness to replace in-patient consultations with teledermatology was completed by dermatological patients, dermatologists, and health care workers in dermatology.

Results: Among a total of 664 participants, the ones with previous telemedicine experience (171/664, 25.8%) indicated a high level of overall experience with it (patients: 73/106, 68.9%, dermatologists: 6/8, 75.0%, and health care workers: 27/34, 79.4%). Patients, dermatologists, and health care workers were most likely willing to replace in-person consultations with teledermatology for minor health issues (353/512, 68.9%; 37/45, 82.2%; and 89/107, 83.2%, respectively). We observed a higher preference for telemedicine among individuals who have already used telemedicine (patients: P<.001, dermatologists: P=.03, and health care workers, P=.005), as well as among patients with higher educational levels (P=.003).

Conclusions: This study indicates that the preference for teledermatology has a high potential to increase over time since previous experience with telemedicine and a higher level of education were associated with a higher willingness to replace in-patient consultations with telemedicine. We assume that minor skin problems are the most promising issue in teledermatology. Our findings emphasize the need for dermatologists to be actively involved in the transition to teledermatology.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04495036; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04495036.

Keywords: acceptance; patient; physician; satisfaction; teledermatology.

©Lara Valeska Maul, Anna Sophie Jahn, Gustavo S P Pamplona, Markus Streit, Lorena Gantenbein, Simon Müller, Mia-Louise Nielsen, Christian Greis, Alexander A Navarini, Julia-Tatjana Maul. Originally published in JMIR Dermatology (http://derma.jmir.org), 11.08.2023.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04495036