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This initiative is part of a project by the Aragón Health Research Institute to facilitate accessibility for patients and, in the specific case of Dermatology, also increase the early diagnosis of melanoma.
The Dermatology service has also joined the virtual consultation initiatives between the family doctors of Sector II and the doctors of the Miguel Servet University Hospital. The peculiarity of the teledermatology developed in this case is that they use a dermatoscope, which allows the doctor at the health center to refer the consultation to the hospital specialist with a photograph of the skin lesion.
The main objectives of the virtual consultation project are to facilitate accessibility for patients and, in the specific case of Dermatology, to also increase the early diagnosis of melanoma. For now, the initiative has completed its pilot phase at the La Almozara Health Center with very good results and is now going to be gradually extended to the health centers of Torrero, Torre Ramona, Rebolería, Fuentes Norte and San Pablo. In a next phase, Fernando El Católico and San José will join.
This system allows Dermatology consultations to be resolved electronically, without the patient having to travel to the Hospital. The family doctor sends his consultation to the dermatologist through the Intranet. At the Hospital there is a response time commitment of 15 days, although the average response time is currently 3-4 calendar days and, on holidays, less than a week. These telematic consultations facilitate the selection of patients who have to come to the hospital and help prioritize serious cases. In addition, it has another very beneficial effect for the system, which is to increase contact between professionals at different levels of care and promote training in Dermatology in Primary Care.
The initiative is part of a project by the Aragón Health Research Institute and has been launched with the support of the pharmaceutical company Almirall.
Ana Morales, dermatologist at HUMS, explains that since the beginning of the program (approximately 9 months) 100 cases have been referred for virtual consultation, most of them women aged 60 on average. In 70% of cases the diagnosis of the Primary Care doctor agrees with the dermatologist and in 39% no face-to-face appointment with the patient in Specialized Care has been required. The rest of the users were scheduled for consultation at the outpatient clinic or HUMS for control or removal of the lesion under study.
For José Luis Cañada, coordinator of the CS Almozara, the virtual consultation is giving very good results in all the specialties that have been carried out (Urology, Traumatology, all medical...) and that is why he also opted for Dermatology from the first moment. . Now, three other colleagues from the center are joining the initiative in addition to other health centers. For Cañada, the learning required to use the dermatoscope can be achieved quickly and having the image is essential to be able to carry out this virtual consultation.
