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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04593004

Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Visits in the Follow-Up of Patients With Acne

Acne vulgaris is a common cutaneous inflammatory condition of sebaceous follicles that can profoundly affect patients' quality of life, especially at a young age. In this context the use of teledermatology can potentially reduce the healthcare costs associated to traditional consultations as well as the costs related to travel and loss of school/working time for the patient, with a clear benefit for the whole community. Since 2016, the Department of Dermatology at Inselspital Hospital in Bern has a portal and a smartphone app for online advice service.

Hereby the investigators propose to explicitly investigate the efficacy of this system in reducing healthcare costs as compared to traditional face-to-face consultations, in a cohort of patients with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.

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Key information

Conditions

Acne Vulgaris Acneiform Eruptions Sebaceous Gland Diseases Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year–28 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Department of dermatology, University Hospital Inselspital, Bern

Bern, 3010, Switzerland

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Given written informed consent
  • Mild-to-moderate acne as assessed by IGA scale
  • Willingness and ability to adhere the study protocol

Exclusion criteria

  • Need for systemic therapy for acne with Isotretinoin
  • Inability to use the teledermatology system

Treatment and study plan

Teledermatology

Device

Patients will be assessed and followed-up by trained physicians through a store-and-forward system (teledermatology online service - Evita® app), which allows patients to upload pictures of skin areas affected by acne as well as their symptoms or questions related to their disease.

Face-to-face consultation

Other

Patients will be assessed and followed-up by trained physicians through regular face-to-face outpatient consultations.

Primary outcomes

  1. Total time spent by dermatologist after baseline

    Time frame: 4 months

    Total cumulative time spent by dermatologist for face-to-face consultations or online assessments after baseline.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total time spent by patient after baseline

    Time frame: 4 months

    Total cumulative time spent by patient for visit-related travels and/or online procedures after baseline.

  2. Acne severity improvement

    Time frame: 2, 4 and 6 months

    Acne severity improvement from baseline as assessed by 5-point ordinal investigator's global assessment (IGA) scale, ranging from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.

  3. Number of therapies prescribed for acne

    Time frame: 2, 4 and 6 months

  4. Patient study satisfaction

    Time frame: 6 months

    Overall patient satisfaction regarding the service received during the study as assessed by 11-point anchored visual analogue scale (VAS), ranging from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.

  5. Patient quality of life improvement

    Time frame: 6 months

    Patient quality of life improvement from baseline as assessed by dermatology life quality index (DLQI), ranging from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Randomized Open-Label Trial Comparing Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Consultation in the Follow-Up of Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Acne

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Oct 19, 2020
Registry last updated
Dec 6, 2024

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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