Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 14, Number 1 > Pp. 2-7

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ebner, C. Articles by Soyer, H P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

RESEARCH Original article

Mobile teledermatology: a feasibility study of 58 subjects using mobile phones

Christoph Ebner ^*, Elisabeth MT Wurm ^*, Barbara Binder ^*, Harald Kittler , Gian Piero Lozzi , Cesare Massone ^*, Gerald Gabler , Rainer Hofmann-Wellenhof ^* and H Peter Soyer ^* 

^* Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Dermatology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy; Department of IT and Telecommunications, Graz University Clinics and General Hospital, Graz, Austria

Correspondence: Dr H Peter Soyer, Department of Dermatology, Research Unit of Teledermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, Austria (Fax: +43 316 385 4957; Email: peter.soyer{at}meduni-graz.at)

We investigated the diagnostic agreement between teledermatology based on images from a mobile phone camera and face-to-face (FTF) dermatology. Diagnostic agreement was assessed for two teledermatologists (TD) in comparison with FTF consultations in 58 subjects. In almost three-quarters of the cases (TD1: 71%; TD2: 76%), the telediagnosis was fully concordant with the FTF diagnosis. Furthermore, the diagnosed diseases were almost all in the same diagnostic category (TD1: 97%; TD2: 90%). If mobile teledermatology had been used for remote triage, TD1 could have treated 53% subjects remotely and 47% subjects would have had to consult a dermatologist FTF. TD2 could have treated 59% subjects remotely, whereas 41% subjects would have had to consult a dermatologist FTF. Forty-eight subjects responded to a questionnaire, of whom only 10 had any concerns regarding teledermatology. Thirty-one subjects stated that they would be willing to pay to use a similar service in future and suggested an amount ranging from 5 to 50 per consultation (mean 22) ( = £0.7, US $1.4). These results are encouraging as patient acceptance and reimbursement represent potential obstacles to the implementation of telemedicine services.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. Park, D.-K. Kim, J.-C. Kim, K.-D. Kim, and S. K Yoo A portable dental image viewer using a mobile network to provide a tele-dental service J Telemed Telecare, April 1, 2009; 15(3): 145 - 149. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]