Applications of Telemedicine in Dermatology

Abstract

Telemedicine is a technological tool that enhances well-being all around the globe. Practicing medicine or performing a clinical examination from a distance was a mere thought until this decade's pandemic hit the world. Telemedicine is practicing medicine sitting on one side of a globe and diagnosing and treating a different individual from the opposite part of the world. There is a long way to go for medical practitioners to execute an entire clinical examination analogous to an accurate clinical examination. Telemedicine is a supplement to a patient's total care, not a replacement for in-person doctor visits. Family doctors can easily access specialists using telemedicine, which enables them to monitor their patients closely. Numerous telemedicine systems, including store and forward, real-time and remote, or self-monitoring, are used worldwide for education, healthcare delivery and control, sickness screening, and disaster management. Even if telemedicine cannot solve every issue, it can significantly lessen the strain on the healthcare system. Nevertheless, investigations performed via telemedicine have started incorporating various medical instruments called telemedicine peripherals, including electronic stethoscopes, teleophthalmoscopes, and video-otoscopes. The prevailing disease around the globe of coronavirus has remarkably debilitated the medical infrastructure in providing diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and follow-ups. As a result, there is a significant change in the way of practicing medicine and managing patients. Telemedicine provides timely patient care and reduces the risk of exposure to various communicable diseases offered to medical practitioners. The development of imaging technologies has significantly impacted dermatology, a specialty that relies on visual signals. Reviewing dermatology's existing situation and potential digital future, in brief, is the goal of this study. This study provides brief information on telemedicine, its application and scope in dermatology, and how it can alter the healthcare system.