Patient and physician satisfaction with video consultations in dermatology: An exploratory cross-sectional study

Teledermatology has become an essential part of dermatological care, although challenges in its implementation remain. We conducted a real-life survey on video consultations over a one-year period to assess satisfaction and identify barriers.

A monocentric, questionnaire-based study was conducted, using a self-developed questionnaire and the German adaptation of the validated Client Satisfaction Questionnaire.

Of 250 scheduled consultations, 89.6% were completed. A total of 128 patients and 13 physicians participated in the survey. The majority of patients (94.5%) and physicians (94.7%) would recommend video consultations. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction, with 93% rating ease of use positively and 80.4% reporting a positive overall experience. Physicians reported high satisfaction, with 98% providing positive feedback regarding scheduling, 94.7% regarding ease of use, and 90.8% regarding overall experience. Feedback on connection stability and skin assessment varied, with connectivity issues correlating with poorer skin findings (p < 0.001). Feedback regarding connection stability and adequacy of skin assessment showed variability. Connectivity issues were significantly associated with poorer dermatologic assessment (p < 0.001). Physicians who were dissatisfied with the quality of skin assessment were less likely to recommend video consultations (p < 0.001) and reported a less favorable overall experience (p < 0.001).

Video consultations can improve access to dermatologic care, patient and physician satisfaction, and efficient use of healthcare resources. Our real-world data show high acceptance among patients and physicians while highlighting areas for optimization, particularly video quality and adequacy of dermatologic assessment.