Web-based Teledermatology Consult system: Preliminary results from the first 100 cases

The TRICARE Region 1 Teledermatology Consortium has developed a secure web- based "store and forward" consult system designed to allow medical treatmen t facilities throughout the region to submit dermatology consults. Realizing that there is very little objective data on teledermatology, we h ave begun to evaluate our system through the integration of questionnaires for patients, referring physicians, and consultants in addition to telephon ic patient follow up. Ne report the preliminary data from the first 100 cas es received in the first two months since partly deploying the web based te ledermatology consult system in the Tricare Region I (Northeast United Stat es). We primarily address system effectiveness(percentage of cases that req uired follow up to dermatology and/or primary care physicians, adequacy of evaluating pigmented lesions) diagnostic agreement, acceptance, effect on a ccess to care, and educational value to the primary care physicians.