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Dermatology, telemedicine and the pandemic: can skin diagnosis be done from a distance?
In the spring and summer of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking root, most medical disciplines had shifted some in-person visits to telemedicine. The ability to see a provider at a distance has transformed how people can access health care, especially when it comes to superficial conditions—those that are visible on the surface of the body. Not every specialty benefited equally from the advantages telemedicine offered, but physicians practicing dermatology quickly embraced the technology’s potential while mitigating its shortcomings.
Are In-Person Visits Vital to Diagnosing Dermatological Conditions?
It may seem obvious that dermatology is a specialty that is particularly reliant on in-person patient examinations. Dermatologists have long been wary of missing critical information and skeptical of technology’s ability to offer meaningful live imagery. The pandemic, however, has changed that.