Chow Aloysius, Teo Sok Huang, Kong Jing Wen, Lee Simon, Heng Yee Kiat, van Steensel Maurice, Smith Helen
Family Medicine and Primary Care, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
National Healthcare Group Polyclinics, Singapore, Singapore.
JMIR Dermatol. 2022 Feb 22;5(1):e24956. doi: 10.2196/24956.
Teledermatology is a cost-effective treatment modality for the management of skin disorders. Most evaluations use quantitative data, and far less is understood about the patients' experience.
This qualitative study aimed to explore patients' perceptions of a teledermatology service linking public primary care clinics to the national specialist dermatology clinic in Singapore. A better understanding of patients' experiences can help refine and develop the care provided.
Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with patients who had been referred to the teledermatology service. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed before undergoing thematic content analysis.
A total of 21 patients aged between 22 and 72 years were recruited. The following 3 themes were identified from the data of patients' experiences: positive perceptions of teledermatology, concerns about teledermatology, and ideas for improving the teledermatology service. The patients found the teledermatology service convenient, saving them time and expense and liberating them from the stresses incurred when making an in-person visit to a specialist facility. They valued the confidence and reassurance they gained from having a dermatologist involved in deciding their management. The patients' concern included data security and the quality of the images shared. Nonetheless, they were keen to see the service expanded beyond the polyclinics. Their experiences and perceptions will inform future service refinement and development.
This narrative exploration of users' experiences of teledermatology produced rich data enabling a better understanding of the patients' journey, the way they understand and interpret their experiences, and ideas for service refinement. Telemedicine reduces traveling and enables safe distancing, factors that are much needed during pandemics.
远程皮肤病学是一种用于管理皮肤疾病的具有成本效益的治疗方式。大多数评估使用定量数据，而对于患者体验的了解则少得多。
这项定性研究旨在探讨患者对新加坡将公共基层医疗诊所与国家专科皮肤病诊所相连接的远程皮肤病学服务的看法。更好地了解患者体验有助于优化和发展所提供的护理。
对被转诊至远程皮肤病学服务的患者进行了半结构化深度访谈。访谈进行了数字录音并转录，然后进行主题内容分析。
共招募了21名年龄在22岁至72岁之间的患者。从患者体验数据中确定了以下3个主题：对远程皮肤病学的积极看法、对远程皮肤病学的担忧以及改善远程皮肤病学服务的想法。患者们发现远程皮肤病学服务很方便，节省了他们的时间和费用，并使他们从亲自前往专科机构就诊时所产生的压力中解脱出来。他们重视在有皮肤科医生参与决定其治疗方案时所获得的信心和安心。患者的担忧包括数据安全和所共享图像的质量。尽管如此，他们渴望看到该服务在综合诊所之外得到扩展。他们的体验和看法将为未来的服务优化和发展提供参考。
对远程皮肤病学用户体验的这种叙述性探索产生了丰富的数据，有助于更好地理解患者的就医过程、他们理解和诠释自身体验的方式以及服务优化的想法。远程医疗减少了出行并实现了安全距离，这些因素在疫情期间非常必要。
