Telemedicine is the newest means of communicating with your dermatologist and keeping up with your treatment and medication. Here’s everything you need to know about this growing innovative approach to healthcare.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the entire world, people are forced to stay at home to contain its spread. However, many people will still need healthcare and consultations from a board-certified dermatologist.
That’s why to keep patients safe from Covid while also ensuring their health and safety, many dermatologists opt for telemedicine.
Telemedicine relies on the virtual space, allowing patients to have an appointment with their dermatologist, and other doctors for that matter, from the comfort and safety of their home. For this to happen, they will either use their smartphone or computer.
In an interview with Everyday Health, Yale University-affiliated dermatologist Mona Gohara, M.D., said that telemedicine complements very well with dermatology consultations. She also noted that dermatology is a visual field; therefore, many skin conditions are diagnosable from looks alone, making telemedicine a viable and reliable option.
Patients can benefit from telemedicine as it lets them talk with their dermatologist without seeing them physically. Telemedicine appointments can be in either of the following:
- An online video conference with your West Dermatology Palm Springs dermatologist.
- A phone call with your dermatologist.
- A chat with your dermatologist via online platforms.
For information such as prescriptions, written descriptions, your medical record, or pictures of your condition, you can send that to your dermatologist via email.
Your telemedicine appointments will be similar to a regular consultation. The only difference is that you won’t have any physical interaction since it’s conducted online.
During your telemedicine appointment, you can do the following:
- Have your West Dermatology Palm Springs dermatologist examine your skin, hair, or nail problem.
- Have your dermatologist check for unusual spots on your skin. Suppose your dermatologist diagnoses a spot as a potential skin condition such as melanoma that needs to be tested or removed. In that case, they will ask you to come to their office for an actual, in-person appointment.
- Maintain treatment for chronic skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases urges patients to keep caring for their skin even when they can’t get to their dermatologist’s clinic.
- Issue prescriptions for your skin condition, if necessary. You can also ask your dermatologist for local pharmacies and drug stores, so you won’t have to do it yourself.
- Receive dermatology care whenever it is convenient for you. With telemedicine, you can communicate back and forth with your dermatologist via electronic devices like your phone or computer.
Always consider seeing a board-certified dermatologist even when you can’t leave your home due to the pandemic. You can even opt for telemedicine if you live in a remote area.
While telemedicine can’t replace in-person consultations, it can prove helpful in times like now when we cannot physically meet with our dermatologists.
