Making the most of tele-dermatology with Lucy Thomas and Afzal Ansary

BMJ talk medicine

The use of telemedicine is on the rise, and the pandemic has led to an increased demand for this service, due to the availability of face-to-face appointments being severely limited. In this week’s episode, we discuss the benefits and pitfalls of teledermatology. With long waits for secondary care referrals, teledermatology allows dermatologists to fast-track patients requiring urgent investigations, and to direct them to the most appropriate care, which helps to alleviate some of the pressure on GPs. We talk about the common concerns around missing a skin cancer diagnosis, and the importance of empowering our patients to understand when to seek further help. How do we take good photos of skin lesions to aid diagnosis, and what is the vital information that dermatologists need from a GP referral? Our guests; Lucy Thomas is a consultant dermatologist at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, she was also part of the Dermatology Team of the Year in the 2020 BMJ Awards, for the creation of a teledermatology service. Afzal Ansari is chair of the Royal Photographic Society's medical committee, and a medical photographer with decades of experience. For more on teledermatology https://www.bad.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/teledermatology