This appeared last week.
Groundbreaking telehealth platform brings dermatology to far-flung Australia
Thea Cowie | 17 Jan 2018
An Australian telehealth dermatology service has been described as “five years in front of” anything else in its field at a recent global conference.
The Teledermatologist smartphone platform, developed by the team behind Newcastle Dermatology, offers same-day consultations for patients in rural and regional areas.
“At the World Congress of Teledermatology last year, the feedback from committee members was that our service is five years in front of anyone else in terms of the way we've done it and the platform we've used,” said Murray Corbett, who is CEO at Newcastle Dermatology and has dedicated much of the last two and a half years to developing Teledermatologist.
The platform, which has been in operation since July, involves two apps built around FileMaker Pro 16 and incorporating a custom video conferencing system and SSL/TLS 256-bit encryption.
The first app – the client-facing app – uses the phone's built-in camera to take high-definition photos of the area to be treated and collects basic patient information.
It can be used by patients, GPs and nurses to request a new case.
“The photos are all kept within our app – they're not stored on the doctor's or the patient's phone – and we're alerted to the fact that someone wants a consultation. Our coordinator then collects a referral and appoints one of our rostered dermatologists to the case, ” Corbett said.
“Generally speaking, we can hook someone up to a dermatology conference within a few hours, as opposed to them waiting six months and travelling hundreds or thousands of kilometres.”
Meanwhile, the dermatologist-facing app allows the specialist to easily navigate between the secure video conference, referral letter, patient details, photographs and notes section.
It allows dermatologists to not only diagnose, said Corbett, but also treat patients with the help of local healthcare professionals.
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This seems like a carefully thought out system to provide improved skin care to the bush.
David.
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