Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the use of teledermatology. We report on the impact of teledermatology on care delivery at two urban high-volume academic practices.
Methods: We reviewed all appointments for patients over 18 at Mass General Brigham between 1/1/20 and 7/31/20 for patient characteristics, appointment status and diagnosis.
Results: 51,799 appointments were scheduled over the seven-month period. Patient volume dropped by more than half during office closures from March to May, but it has since returned to pre-pandemic levels. Teledermatology utilization decreased after office reopening (5,961 (80.4%) vs 4,803 (25.0%) P ˂ .001). Attendance rates were higher for virtual (85.8%) than in-person visits during the pandemic (76.8%) or before the pandemic (81.3%) (P ˂ .001). Compared with in-person appointments, the patients seen virtually were younger (50.4 vs 55.7 years, P ˂ .001), more likely to be female (67.9% vs 60.5%, P ˂ .001), nonwhite (24.0% vs 19.7%), and privately insured (69.3% vs 65.8%, P ˂ .001). Non-English speakers were not negatively impacted by the pandemic. Acne, medication management, eczema, and psoriasis appointments were more commonly seen virtually, while nevus and skin lesion evaluations were less common.
Discussion: The pandemic has shown the promising future of teledermatology. Although some groups enjoyed greater access to care, further research is needed to determine the reasons for the differences in the demographics of patients seen virtually to ensure equitable access to dermatologic care, particularly among older and male patients. Our data also suggest that certain appointments may be more conducive to virtual visits and should be extended beyond the pandemic period.
Footnotes
Commercial Disclosure: None identified.