Teledermatology application use in the COVID-19 era

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Public Health
• Dermatology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare delivery in the United States.
• Telemedicine adoption surged as a response to the public health crisis.
• Pre-existing barriers to dermatologic care included geographical and socioeconomic factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the increase in telemedicine application prevalence and ranking post-COVID-19.
• To assess the acceptance and satisfaction with teledermatology services among dermatologists and patients.
• To evaluate the role of teledermatology in mitigating healthcare access barriers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an algorithm to analyze mobile application rankings.
• Compared telemedicine app performance metrics pre- and post-COVID-19.
• Examined diagnostic trends within US telehealth, specifically for skin conditions.

Main Results:

• Telemedicine applications experienced an average increase of 210.92 ranked positions.
• Skin conditions emerged as the fifth most common diagnosis in US telehealth.
• High satisfaction rates were reported by both dermatologists and patients regarding teledermatology use.

Conclusions:

• Teledermatology has been widely accepted and demonstrates high user satisfaction.
• The COVID-19 pandemic reduced physician hesitancy towards adopting teledermatology.
• Teledermatology effectively minimizes geographical and socioeconomic barriers, enhancing dermatologic care equity.