Acceptance of Telemedicine in Dermatology Patients, Physicians and Medical Staff

This study is to investigate the current use and intention to use of teledermatology in Swiss dermatology patients, dermatologists, other physicians and medical staff.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Dermatologic Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: data collection (21-items-patient descriptive survey); Other: data collection (23-items-physician descriptive survey)

Detailed Description

Telemedicine, the use of telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical health care from a distance, has become an increasing role in basic medical care internationally. Telemedicine is particularly suitable for skin diseases. In order to improve the use of evidence-based telemedicine, the Swiss patients' preferences regarding teledermatology versus face-to-face consultations and the patients' and physicians' determinants of acceptance for teledermatology are investigated in this study. Dermatology patients are asked to complete a newly-created 21-items-survey; Swiss dermatologists, other physicians and medical staff on telemedicine will complete a similar newly-created, 23-items-questionnaire. A descriptive statistical analysis (e.g. gender, age, place of residence (city or country), waiting time) will be performed.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 683

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Aarau, Switzerland, 5001
    • Kantonsspital Aarau
  • Basel, Switzerland, 4031
    • Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Basel
  • Zürich, Switzerland, 8091
    • University Hospital Zurich

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients treated in the Department of Dermatology of the Cantonal Hospital Aarau and the University Hospitals Basel and Zürich and Dermatologists, other physicians and medical staff of the Department of Dermatology of the Cantonal Hospital Aarau and the University Hospitals Basel and Zürich.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients treated in the Department of Dermatology of the Cantonal Hospital Aarau and the University Hospitals Basel and Zürich
• dermatologists, other physicians and medical staff of the Department of Dermatology of the Cantonal Hospital Aarau and the University Hospitals Basel and Zürich

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
dermatology patients	Other: data collection (21-items-patient descriptive survey); Dermatology patients are asked to complete a 21-items-survey while waiting for the doctor's consultation. Following variables will be addressed: Demographic data of telemedicine users and non-users; Subjective disease perception of the dermatology patients; Use of internet, telemedicine and telemedicine insurance model; Patients´ willingness for additional features of telemedicine; Advantages and disadvantages telemedicine and face-to-face consultation; Suitable fields of dermatology for telemedicine from the patient's perspective; Recommended structure of telemedical services by users and non-users
physicians and medical staff	Other: data collection (23-items-physician descriptive survey); To obtain the view of Swiss dermatologists, other physicians and medical staff on telemedicine a 23-items-survey will be completed. Following variables will be addressed: Objective disease perception of the treating dermatologist (regarding the urgency of the patient's medical examination, the functional impairment and cosmetic burden due to patient's disease, the impairment of life quality due to patient's disease and the estimation of the course of the patient's disease); Suitable fields of dermatology for telemedicine from the physician's and medical staff's perspective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
descriptive analysis: deviation in influencing factors for the acceptance of teledermatology	Assessment of the deviation in influencing factors for the acceptance of teledermatology (subjective disease perception versus objective assessment by physicians)	at baseline
descriptive analysis of the impact of medical education for the acceptance of telemedicine among dermatologists vs. other physicians vs. medical staff vs. patients	Comparison of the impact of medical education for the acceptance of telemedicine among dermatologists vs. other physicians vs. medical staff vs. patients	at baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): July 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): January 31, 2020
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): January 31, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 28, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 28, 2020
• First Posted (ACTUAL): July 31, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): August 4, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 3, 2020
• Last Verified: August 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Telemedicine; Teledermatology
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: Req-2019-00523; sp20Maul2

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No