Are doctors ready for virtual visits? Telemedicine may not be accurate enough

Are Doctors Ready for Virtual Visits? Many fear telemedicine will jeopardize the doctor-patient bond. NYT http://bit.ly/7c2RA8

Telemedicine has a place for second opinion when initiated by a physician but primary assessment is more problematic. One successful example of telemedicine is Cleveland Clinic's second opinion service for physicians abroad. For reference, please see our blog post from a few years ago: Cleveland Clinic Offers a Second Opinion Online for $565 http://bit.ly/4NQyer

The accuracy of teledermatology was inferior to real-life clinic dermatology for melanoma diagnosis http://bit.ly/8A4oiu.



CNN Video: Doctor will see you now -- on Webcam. Telemedicine takes a new turn. Now you can see the doctor while you shop, as CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports.

Related:
Melanoma - JAMA Patient Page illustrates the ABCDE of diagnosis, 2011.
Skin cancer in the USA - follow Australia's successful "Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide" campaign - The Lancet, 2011.
Telemedicine boosting dermatology care: improved outcomes, with better diagnosis and disease management. AMA News, 2012.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the posting.
    I think there is something to this, although I like the human interaction with my doctor, I sometimes feel rushed.
    It seems like the wait time would be cut substantially.

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  2. Yep, everything depends on how it is implemented. I'm sure it has the potential to make you feel even more "rushed", Don... :)

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  3. From Twitter:

    @jonathandblack: if used properly, telemedicine can be great. when used improperly, it is an epic FAIL.

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