Paediatric dermatology teleconsultations: a survey of healthcare professionals in the UK

McCusker, Sarah; King Stokes, Natalie; Hunjan, Manrup; Daly, Aoife; George, Susannah; Solman, Lea; Burden-Teh, Esther

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted dermatology services into a digital era, with the rapid introduction of teleconsultations. The UK National Health Service operational planning guidance recommends ≥ 25% of consultations are delivered remotely. There is a lack of data regarding the acceptability and effectiveness of paediatric dermatology teleconsultations. We surveyed UK healthcare professionals (HCPs) to explore their experiences of teleconsultations in paediatric dermatology, with a focus on follow-up consultations for paediatric eczema (PE), to inform a future clinical trial. There were 119 responses. Pre-pandemic, 37% provided some form of teleconsultation service, rising to 92% post-pandemic. In total, 41% (n = 49) now carry out > 25% of consultations remotely. We found 55% felt teleconsultations were less effective than face-to-face ones for PE follow-up. Eighty HCPs offered teleconsultations for PE. Among the HPCs who offered teleconsultations for PE, the most effective format for follow-up consultations was felt to be telephone with photographs (52/80, 65%). Our results demonstrate varying opinion on the effectiveness and optimal format of paediatric teleconsultations, supporting the need for further research.

Citation

McCusker, S., King Stokes, N., Hunjan, M., Daly, A., George, S., Solman, L., & Burden-Teh, E. (2023). Paediatric dermatology teleconsultations: a survey of healthcare professionals in the UK. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 48(7), 785-789. https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llad120

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 25, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 31, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-07
• Deposit Date: Apr 19, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 1, 2024
• Journal: Clinical and experimental dermatology
• Print ISSN: 0307-6938
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2230
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 48
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 785-789
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llad120
• Keywords: Dermatology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/19295776
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/ced/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ced/llad120/7097623
• Additional Information: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology following peer review. The version of record Sarah McCusker, Natalie King Stokes, Manrup Hunjan, Aoife Daly, Susannah George, Lea Solman, Esther Burden-Teh, Paediatric Dermatology Teleconsultations: A Survey of Health Care Professionals in the United Kingdom, Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2023;, llad120 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llad120.