Patient cost-benefits of realtime teledermatology - a comparison of data from Northern Ireland and New Zealand

As part of a randomized controlled trial of the costs and benefits of realt ime teledermatology in comparison with conventional face-to-face appointmen ts, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of their con sultation. One hundred and nine patients took part in an initial teledermat ology consultation and 94 in a face-to-face consultation. The proportion of patients followed up by the dermatologist was almost the same after telede rmatology (24%) as after a hospital appointment (26%) and for similar reaso ns. Two hundred and three questionnaires were completed after the first vis it and a further 20 after subsequent visits. Patients seen by teledermatolo gy at their own health centre travelled an average of 12 km, whereas those who attended a conventional clinic travelled an average of 271 km. The tele medicine group spent an average of 51 min attending the appointment compare d with 4.3 h for those seen at the hospital. The results of the present stu dy, as in a similar study conducted in Northern Ireland, show that the econ omic benefits of teledermatology favour the patient rather than the health- care system.