Patient satisfaction with store-and-forward teledermatology

We assessed patient satisfaction with a nurse-led store-and-forward teleder matology service in Manchester. A teledermatology nurse obtained the patien t's history, took digital photographs of the patient's skin lesion and then sent the information to a hospital dermatologist, who responded with manag ement advice the following week. Of 141 patients who attended their teleder matology appointment, 123 (50 male, 73 female) completed the study question naire (87%). The average age of respondents was 42 years (SD 17, range 18-9 0 years). Ninety-three percent reported that they were happy with the telec onsultation while 86% reported that it was more convenient than going to th e outpatient clinic. Forty per cent agreed that they would feel more comfor table seeing the dermatologist in person while only 58% were comfortable wi th not speaking to the dermatologist about their skin condition. The absenc e of interaction with the dermatologist and the delay in receiving manageme nt advice may have contributed to the somewhat low satisfaction rates.