Practice of Teledermatopathology: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION

Teledermatopathology has the potential to revolutionize the practice of diagnosing skin diseases. This review provides an overview of the advantages, limitations, and future directions of teledermatopathology.

METHODS

MEDLINE was searched via PubMed and Google Scholar databases for relevant articles published from 2012 to the present. Additional articles were also identified by hand-searching.

RESULTS

A total of 2675 citations were identified in the initial search. Two thousand five hundred seventy-three were excluded based on duplicates and review of titles and abstracts. Eighty studies failed to meet the inclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 22 articles for analysis. Nine additional articles were hand-searched.

CONCLUSIONS

Recent studies report that telepathology increases access to specialists, reduces interpretive errors and health care expenditures, improves the efficiency of workflow, and optimizes patient outcomes. It also facilitates international collaboration by widening global access to dermatopathology services and providing educational resources in underserved areas. However, the quality and regulations of digital slide imaging in teledermatopathology need to be improved.