UC Davis dermatologists find telemedicine effective for patient care
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — UC Davis Health System dermatologists, using videoconferencing technology known as telemedicine, have determined that live interactive consultations can improve clinical outcomes for patients because they usually involve beneficial changes in medical diagnosis and disease management that otherwise might not occur.
The findings appear in the current issue of the Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, which was published this week.
April Armstrong, the study’s senior author and a UC Davis assistant professor of dermatology, said she and her team wanted to investigate the efficacy of live video consultations to provide patient care from a distance.
“Telemedicine for dermatology patients is a great tool in dermatology because skin conditions can be readily examined in digital still or video images,” said Armstrong, who also serves as director of the health system’s teledermatology program. “W