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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02122432

Teledermatology Versus Usual Care on Delay Before Diagnosis and Treatment of Dermatologic Conditions

In France, there is usually a long delay (approximately 6 weeks) before a general practitioner can obtain a specialized advice by dermatologists for diagnosis of "unusual" dermatologic conditions of their patients.

Previous studies have shown that teledermatology is a reliable way for diagnosis in dermatology.

We hypothesize that a teledermatology advice could reduce delay before diagnosis and therefore treatment for patients.

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Key information

Conditions

Dermatologic Conditions

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University paris Diderot

Paris, France

About this study

In France, there is usually a long delay (approximately 6 weeks) before a general practitioner can obtain a specialized advice by dermatologists for diagnosis of "unusual" dermatologic conditions of their patients.

Previous studies have shown that teledermatology is a reliable way for diagnosis in dermatology.

We hypothesize that a teledermatology advice could reduce delay before diagnosis and therefore treatment for patients.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Consultation with a general practitioner for any motive during which, the general practitioner deems necessary to obtain a dermatologic expertise for a skin lesion (for diagnosis or treatment)

Exclusion criteria

  • Emergency, assessed by the general practitioner (needs care or quick telephonic advice in the next 24 hours)
  • Patients for which diagnosis and/or treatment are known by the general practitioner (the GP needs a dermatologic advice for a specific treatment (for example= laser, instrumental treatment...))
  • Patient cannot go the dermatologic consultation by himself (for example: dependant patients...)
  • Cognitive or psychiatric impairment (cannot give informed consent)

Treatment and study plan

Teledermatology

Other

General practitioner takes 3 photographs per dermatologic lesion using either a telephone with a 3Mega Pixel minimum camera or a standard camera following recommendations of the practice guidelines for teledermatology (2007) of the American Telemedicine Association.

Photographs are sent by email using a secured mail server with at least the following information=date of symptoms, symptomatology, topography of lesions, description of lesions, extension, recent drug intakes)

Photographs are read and analyzed by a single dermatologist who gives an expert answer (diagnosis and/or treatment). Answer is sent back to the general practitioner by email (using a secured mail server). Answer contains at least the following information= are photographs usable? What is the diagnosis? If necessary, which treatment should the general practitioner begin ? If necessary, does the patient need a consultation with a dermatologist ?

Primary outcomes

  1. Delay before expertise by a dermatologist

    Time frame: 3 months

    Delay, in days, between a patient's consultation with his general practitioner and expertise by a dermatologist (teledermatology or classic consultation) that allows either diagnostic and/or initiation of treatment.

    For example: in the teledermatology group, if the specialist needs to see the patient because the photographs cannot be analyzed correctly, date of expertise is the date of the consultation with the dermatologist.

    Data is censured after 3 months.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Patient's satisfaction

    Time frame: 1 month after expertise by dermatologist

    An investigator will call patients by telephone and assess their satisfaction with their care for the dermatologic condition using a simple rating scale with 4 items ranging from "Not satisfied" (1) to "very satisfied" (4).

Other outcomes

  1. Physicians satisfaction with teledermatology

    Time frame: 3 months

    questionnaire at the end of the study using simple rating scales ranging from "Not satisfied" (1) to "very satisfied" (4)

  2. Number of non usable photographs in teledermatology group

    Time frame: 3 months

    Number of non usable photographs in teledermatology group. Assessment by dermatologists who received the photograph. Reasons for non usability

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Paris 7 - Denis Diderot

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Impact of Teledermatology Versus Usual Care on Delay Before Diagnosis and/or Treatment of Dermatologic Conditions in General Practice

Acronym: TELEDERMATO

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2015
Study completion
2015
First posted
Apr 24, 2014
Registry last updated
Jun 22, 2015

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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