General reviews
Is teledermatology a solutions?
Teledermatology is a means of providing remote specialty healthcare. Dermatology is the speciality that is most suitable for the use of telemedicine, so that teledermatology is probably the most common application of telemedicine worldwide. Teledermatology is of particular interest for patients unable to access specialist services for geographical or social reasons. In this article we analyze current data on the quality of services that teledermatology provides and the costs involved in implementation of this technique.

Teledermatology can be applied either in real-time, using videoconferencing technology, or by store-andforward method, when digital images are submitted with the patient's medical information to a remote dermatologist.

This is used for triage, diagnosis and treatment of patients with skin disorders, as well as a second-opinion for primary care practitioners. Teledermatology has demonstrated a high level of concordance in diagnosis and management plans compared to conventional consultation, and patients are generally satisfied with the services provided. Real-time teledermatology has proved to be more expensive than conventional healthcare.

Teledermatology holds promise as an alternative means of delivering health care that may be appropriately used as an adjunct to conventional care. A proper patient selection as well as an improvement of technology may improve both the quality and cost effectiveness of this service.