The assessment of dermatological emergencies in the emergency department via telemedicine is safe: a prospective pilot s

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The assessment of dermatological emergencies in the emergency department via telemedicine is safe: a prospective pilot study Luigi Villa1 · Oliver Matz1,2 · Karmele Olaciregui Dague2 · David Kluwig3 · Rolf Rossaint4 · Jörg Christian Brokmann1 Received: 26 August 2019 / Accepted: 24 March 2020 © Società Italiana di Medicina Interna (SIMI) 2020

Abstract The aim of the study was to examine the feasibility and safety of telemedicine for dermatological emergency patients in the emergency department. This observational study was monocentric, open, prospective and two-arm randomized [control group (n = 50) and teledermatology group (n = 50)]. The control group was conventionally recruited directly by a dermatologist. In the teledermatology group patients, images of the skin lesions and clinical parameters were transferred to a tablet PC (personal computer) by an emergency physician and telemedically assessed by a dermatologist without patient contact. Subsequently, the dermatologist, who was previously telemedically contacted, then personally examined the patient in the emergency department. The treatment time between the control group and the teledermatology group was also recorded and compared. The agreement in suspected diagnosis between teledermatological evaluation and clinical evaluation of the same physician in the teledermatology group was 100%. The treatment time [mean (minutes) ± standard deviation] of the control group was 151 ± 71, that of the teledermatology group was 43 ± 38 (p