Well, you can’t have your blood pressure taken over a computer screen (yet), that’s for certain.

With the average wait to see a physician hovering over 21 days, services like ZocDoc are allowing patients to search for a dermatologist online or via their smart phone, and book an appointment as soon as possible.  More than 40% of ZocDoc users are able to see a physician within 24 hours, and more than 60% see a doctor within 3 days.

Best of all, it is free to the patient.  (The dermatologist pays a small monthly fee to be listed on the site).

On the other hand, some practices also allow you to have an entire appointment with a dermatologist online.  Studies show that teledermatology and convention dermatology have similar outcomes (BMJ, 2000) when it comes to accuracy of diagnosis.  Still, this brings up a lot of other questions:  Will patients be as satisfied without the face-to-face experience?  Are patients as likely feel loyalty to a dermatologist online as opposed to in person?

What do you think about teledermatology?  Let me know in Comments – I’d love to hear what you think!

About Author

Founder and CEO Nicki Zevola started FutureDerm as a medical (M.D.) student studying to be a dermatologist. She is an award-winning scientific researcher and writer. She currently is concentrating on FutureDerm and developing FutureDerm's one-of-a-kind products. She can be found on Google+ and Twitter.

View all Nicki Zevola posts.

1. 

   Phyrra

   July 14, 2012 at 8:43 pm

   I might see one if I had a question about whether or not a mole was serious. If it looked serious, would the online dermatologist be able to refer the patient to someone in person to remove it?

2. 

   Nicholas

   July 15, 2012 at 11:31 am

   I am not sure how my derm could do a complete check on my body and scalp unless I saw her in person. I think that the face to face relationship with my doctors is very important. My dermatologist takes time to answer all my questions when I see her. I could see these online visits being a helpful tool for someone with acne or a rash maybe but I’d rather just see a doctor in person.

3. 

   Lynn

   July 15, 2012 at 4:13 pm

   Yes for things that don’t require docs too take a closer look at. If i can get questions answered without long waits and it doesn’t require me to get a web cam or video chat.

4. 

   DRTVrMoi

   July 15, 2012 at 5:37 pm

   I’d use telederms as a pre-screening service. I would still make my appointment with my personal physician, but would utilize the online input to determine if I still needed a personal appointment.

   This question reminds me of Showtime’s Web Therapy. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s what every enduser fears.

5. 

   Nicki

   July 15, 2012 at 5:54 pm

   @Phyrra – I’m sure that any diagnosis that requires further, in-person care (including scary moles!) will be taken care of via some sort of referral. I can’t imagine this working otherwise, but that’s a great question!

6. 

   Nicki

   July 15, 2012 at 5:55 pm

   @Nicholas – I could see that working as well. During a 15-minute digital appointment, hopefully you can skillfully draw it out to get all of your answers. Another great concern/question to have about this type of service.

7. 

   Nicki

   July 15, 2012 at 5:56 pm

   @Lynn – It’s a shame it’s not the other way around – I’d love it if people with bigger concerns could see physicians faster. Then again, if smaller concerns are addressed via teledermatology, I suppose bigger concerns would be allocated more time.

8. 

   Nicki

   July 15, 2012 at 5:56 pm

   @DRTVrMoi – I’ll definitely look into it! Thanks! Sounds like something right up my alley.

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