Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1084, USA.
J Rural Health. 2009 Spring;25(2):198-202. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2009.00218.x.
Rural patients have limited access to dermatologic care. Farmworkers have high rates of skin disease and limited access to care.
This exploratory study assessed whether teledermatology consultations could help meet the needs of health care providers for farmworkers in rural clinics.
Dermatologists provided 79 consultations, using store-and-forward teledermatology, to farmworkers who presented with a skin disease to rural North Carolina clinics. Clinic providers rated the value of the consultation.
Most requests for consultations (94%) came from family nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Twelve percent of consultations were rated somewhat helpful, and the remainder helpful or very helpful. After receiving the consultation, providers changed the diagnosis in 13% of cases. The consultation led providers to contact or attempt to contact 21% of patients to change treatment recommendations.
Access to expert dermatologic services is needed by rural health care providers. Teledermatology consultations may be a helpful tool to meet this need.
农村患者获得皮肤科医疗服务的机会有限。农民工作为一个高发皮肤疾病群体，其获得医疗服务的机会同样有限。
本探索性研究旨在评估远程皮肤病学咨询是否可以帮助农村诊所的医疗服务提供者满足农民工作者的医疗需求。
皮肤科医生使用存储转发远程皮肤病学为北卡罗来纳州农村诊所出现皮肤疾病的农民提供了 79 次咨询服务。诊所提供方对咨询的价值进行了评分。
大多数咨询请求（94%）来自家庭执业护士或医师助理。12%的咨询被评为有些帮助，其余的则是有帮助或非常有帮助。在收到咨询后，有 13%的情况下提供者改变了诊断。咨询促使提供者联系或试图联系 21%的患者以改变治疗建议。
农村医疗服务提供者需要获得专家皮肤科服务。远程皮肤病学咨询可能是满足这一需求的有用工具。
