Supporting Pathway Improvements
Teledermatology
Teledermatology is the use of high quality medical photography/digital imaging as a tool to diagnose dermatological conditions.
It enables alternative methods of service delivery by adapting when and where lesion images are taken as part of the two week wait referral pathway to enable clinical review to be undertaken virtually. This speeds up time to diagnosis and reduces the number of face to face outpatient appointments in secondary care, thereby improving patient experience and quality of care.
Partnership working between primary care and secondary care to deliver the teledermatology pathway assists with better use of resources, and local leadership with commissioning input can ensure sustainability.
A range of skin cancer teledermatology models have also been developed nationally.
Pilots originally in Leeds and York, where referrals were received with high quality dermoscopic images from GPs suggest that approximately 10-30% of cases can be managed without a face to face consultation (Outpatients Case Studies; The BAD, 2019).
If you're a patient and would like to know more about teledermatology in Leeds, click here
For GPs and primary care staff in Leeds - watch the video and learn more about teledermatology and the process involved.
More information: Video guide for practice staff/GPs on how to make a 2ww referral - primary care secondary care using the teledermatology pathway, Leeds CCG, June 2018. EMIS practices
