Publications [#80874] of Russell P. Hall III

Papers Published

1. JD Whited, RP Hall, ME Foy, LE Marbrey, SC Grambow, TK Dudley, S Datta, DL Simel, EZ Oddone, Teledermatology's impact on time to intervention among referrals to a dermatology consult service., Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association, United States, vol. 8 no. 3 (2002), pp. 313-21, ISSN 1530-5627
   (last updated on 2007/03/27)

   Abstract:
   The aim of this study was to determine if a teledermatology consult system, using store-and-forward digital imaging technology, results in patients achieving a shorter time from referral date to date of initial definitive intervention when compared to a traditional referral process. Patients being referred to the dermatology consult service from the primary care clinics at the Durham VA Medical Center were randomized to either a teledermatology consultation or usual care. A usual care consultation consisted of a text-based electronic consult request. A teledermatology consultation included digital images and a standardized history, in addition to the text-based electronic consult. Time to initial definitive intervention was defined as the time between referral date and the date the patient was scheduled for a clinic visit for those patients that the consultant requested a clinic-based evaluation, or the time between referral date and the date the consult was answered by the consultant if a clinic visit was not required. Patients in the teledermatology arm of the study reached a time to initial definitive intervention significantly sooner than did those patients randomized to usual care (median 41 days versus 127 days, p = 0.0001, log-rank test). Additionally, 18.5% of patients in the teledermatology arm avoided the need for a dermatology clinic-based visit compared to zero patients avoiding a dermatology clinic visit in the usual care arm of the study (p < 0.001, z-test). Teledermatology consult systems can result in significantly shorter times to initial definitive intervention for patients compared to traditional consult modalities, and, in some cases, the need for a clinic-based visit can be avoided.

   Keywords:
   Aged • Chi-Square Distribution • Dermatology • Female • Hospitals, Veterans • Humans • Male • Medical Records Systems, Computerized* • Middle Aged • North Carolina • Outpatient Clinics, Hospital • Primary Health Care • Referral and Consultation • Remote Consultation • Time Factors • Time and Motion Studies • methods • organization & administration • organization & administration* • statistics & numerical data* • utilization