Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis has altered the delivery of healthcare due to the rapid utilization of telemedicine. Dermatology residency programs may benefit from the use of teledermatology for the purposes of establishing and maintaining continuity over a three-year training program. We examine the current evidence on the effect of continuity on patient and resident satisfaction and elaborate on how teledermatology can help to overcome some of the barriers to longitudinal care. Integrating teledermatology into a continuity clinic allows resident physicians to check-in more frequently with patients and provide medication monitoring. We offer suggestions on how programs can integrate teledermatology into a virtual continuity clinic for residents.
Highlights
The current coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) caused by the novel SARS-CoV2 has revolutionized medical practice in the United States
Physicians have rapidly adopted telehealth to communicate with their patients and it may remain an important tool for maintaining continuity of care in residency programs
Continuity has historically been challenging to achieve in ambulatory graduate medical education (GME) training settings.[1]
Summary
The current coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) caused by the novel SARS-CoV2 has revolutionized medical practice in the United States. Physicians have rapidly adopted telehealth to communicate with their patients and it may remain an important tool for maintaining continuity of care in residency programs. Continuity of care, or longitudinal patient-physician interaction, is associated with greater patient satisfaction, including more appropriate follow-up care and fewer missed appointments.[1] More patient-physician contact can lead to stronger patient-physician relationships and higher rates of resident satisfaction.[1,2] Continuity has historically been challenging to achieve in ambulatory graduate medical education (GME) training settings.[1] The implementation of virtual continuity clinics in dermatology via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic may highlight its merits in GME training.
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