Cyberdermatoethics II: a case-based approach to teledermatology ethics

Teledermatology is the use of telecommunication for medical diagnosis and patient care in dermatology. The visual nature of diagnosis in dermatology makes it particularly well suited to the practice of telemedicine. The differences between the two basic types of teledermatology, real-time and store-and-forward, are reviewed. Case scenarios are used to examine some of the ethical and clinical issues that can occur, such as the nature of the doctor-patient relationship, follow-up of incidental diagnoses, limitations of telemedicine, privacy issues, and licensing. Guidelines for the use of telemedicine in dermatology are reviewed.