A Review of the Use of Telemedicine in Dermatologic Surgery.

Abstract

Telemedicine is an emerging field with numerous applications within medicine. Previous review articles describe its use within plastic surgery and otolaryngology but none, to the authors' knowledge, within dermatologic surgery. To provide a review of the applications of telemedicine within dermatologic surgery. A PubMed search of articles published on teledermatology was conducted in July 2018. Articles were selected based on their relevance to dermatologic surgery and reviewed for their discussion of the applications of telemedicine in surgical and cosmetic dermatology. The initial search resulted in 156 articles. Eleven ultimately met inclusion criteria: 2 in referral and consultation, 5 in telepathology, 2 in intraoperative uses, and 2 in postprocedural care. For preoperative consultation, teledermatology enables the surgeon to plan ahead and increases access to care by reducing the number of clinic visits. Telepathology has the potential to allow intraoperative consultation with a dermatopathologist to achieve accurate tumor clearance without delay. Smartglasses represent a promising technology for greater care coordination and a teaching tool. Postprocedural monitoring via text messaging provides convenient access to expert advice and early detection of postoperative complications. With increasing technologic advancements, telemedicine holds great potential to augment the dermatologic surgeon's daily practice.