Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung County
Background/Purpose: Population aging and unequal accessibility of health care are increasingly important in developed countries. One strategy to overcome these issues is utilizing telemedicine, which is recently made possible technologically by the advancement of internet speed, high speed zooming c...
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doaj-ca3400961b35478e9424c65900d96ef72020-12-03T04:29:26ZengElsevierJournal of the Formosan Medical Association0929-66462021-01-011201422428Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung CountyChih-Hung Lee0Chu-Chen Huang1Jui-Ting Huang2Chih-Chi Wang3Sheng Fan4Pi-sheng Wang5Kuo-Chung Lan6Department of Dermatology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Nursing, Taitung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taitung, TaiwanAdministrative Office, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of General Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, Taitung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taitung, TaiwanHospital and Social Welfare Organizations Administration Commission, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan; Corresponding author.Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Corresponding author.Background/Purpose: Population aging and unequal accessibility of health care are increasingly important in developed countries. One strategy to overcome these issues is utilizing telemedicine, which is recently made possible technologically by the advancement of internet speed, high speed zooming cameras, and the information storages. In Taiwan, the telemedicine is granted legally by the amendment for Taiwan's Physician Act in 2018. Methods: Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Kaohsiung CGMH) is the first hospital in Taiwan to provide the telemedicine service connecting to Cheng Kung Branch of Taitung Hospital since Nov 2018. Consultation services from Dermatology, ENT, and Ophthalmology have been delivered in the live-interactive and face to face module every week. Results: Dermatology consultation comprises the majorities. In the first year, there were totally 426 dermatology consultation services. Eczema, fungal infections, and scabies infestation were the three most common diseases in the beginning. The disease diagnosis became more diverse after several months, including some ready-to-treat diseases pending correct diagnosis, such as pediculosis, psoriasis, and urticaria. Coupled with dermoscopic images, diseases such as hair loss, pediculosis capitis, skin tumor, and scabies, were diagnosed promptly. The subjective patient improvement rate was more than 75% year-round and the case closure rate was more than 85% year-round. Conclusion: Teledermatology is a promising approach to serve the remote medical-underprivileged regions. The teledermatology is anticipated to help underserved regions, nursing homes, prisons, and in situations with severe pandemic infections, such as COVID-19.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664620302369TelemedicineTeledermatologyLive-interactiveTaiwan |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Chih-Hung Lee Chu-Chen Huang Jui-Ting Huang Chih-Chi Wang Sheng Fan Pi-sheng Wang Kuo-Chung Lan |
spellingShingle |
Chih-Hung Lee Chu-Chen Huang Jui-Ting Huang Chih-Chi Wang Sheng Fan Pi-sheng Wang Kuo-Chung Lan Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung County Journal of the Formosan Medical Association Telemedicine Teledermatology Live-interactive Taiwan |
author_facet |
Chih-Hung Lee Chu-Chen Huang Jui-Ting Huang Chih-Chi Wang Sheng Fan Pi-sheng Wang Kuo-Chung Lan |
author_sort |
Chih-Hung Lee |
title |
Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung County |
title_short |
Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung County |
title_full |
Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung County |
title_fullStr |
Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung County |
title_full_unstemmed |
Live-interactive teledermatology program in Taiwan: One-year experience serving a district hospital in rural Taitung County |
title_sort |
live-interactive teledermatology program in taiwan: one-year experience serving a district hospital in rural taitung county |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association |
issn |
0929-6646 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
Background/Purpose: Population aging and unequal accessibility of health care are increasingly important in developed countries. One strategy to overcome these issues is utilizing telemedicine, which is recently made possible technologically by the advancement of internet speed, high speed zooming cameras, and the information storages. In Taiwan, the telemedicine is granted legally by the amendment for Taiwan's Physician Act in 2018. Methods: Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Kaohsiung CGMH) is the first hospital in Taiwan to provide the telemedicine service connecting to Cheng Kung Branch of Taitung Hospital since Nov 2018. Consultation services from Dermatology, ENT, and Ophthalmology have been delivered in the live-interactive and face to face module every week. Results: Dermatology consultation comprises the majorities. In the first year, there were totally 426 dermatology consultation services. Eczema, fungal infections, and scabies infestation were the three most common diseases in the beginning. The disease diagnosis became more diverse after several months, including some ready-to-treat diseases pending correct diagnosis, such as pediculosis, psoriasis, and urticaria. Coupled with dermoscopic images, diseases such as hair loss, pediculosis capitis, skin tumor, and scabies, were diagnosed promptly. The subjective patient improvement rate was more than 75% year-round and the case closure rate was more than 85% year-round. Conclusion: Teledermatology is a promising approach to serve the remote medical-underprivileged regions. The teledermatology is anticipated to help underserved regions, nursing homes, prisons, and in situations with severe pandemic infections, such as COVID-19. |
topic |
Telemedicine Teledermatology Live-interactive Taiwan |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664620302369 |
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