Patient knowledge and attitude toward information technology and teledermatology: some tentative findings

A large proportion of Internet users tend to ask health-related questions. There is evidence of growing interest in the use of information technology in health care delivery. Moreover, patient-driven health care is becoming a reality. We hypothesized that dermatology outpatients would be knowledgeable and capable of participating in teledermatology services. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate knowledge among teledermatology patients. The survey instrument was composed of 16 close-ended questions. The validity and reliability of the questions were tested in a pilot study. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Consecutive patients seen at two dermatology clinics at tertiary care hospitals were recruited for a regular survey. A total of 430 questionnaires were completed. About two-thirds of the patients reported having a computer at home, with Internet access, and also using e-mail regularly. Slightly more than one-half of them used the Internet to search for health-related information. One in 5 patients had digital cameras. More than one-half would consider getting an opinion from their physician or send their skin images to their physician via a secure Internet connection. Based on this cross-sectional survey, dermatology outpatients seem to be accepting of and technologically capable of participating in teledermatology.