Evaluation of general practitioner's time investment during a store-and-forward teledermatology consultation
Abstract
Background/objective Introduction of teledermatology in general practice changes responsibilities and workloads of general practitioners (GPs) and dermatologists. We investigated the time investment of GPs as well as the relative share of the separate teledermatology activities during a store-and-forward teledermatology consultation.Methods Sixty-four teledermatology consultations (eight GPs x eight patients) were conducted in a laboratory setting. The starting and ending time of each consultation and of five separate teledermatology activities were recorded by independent observers. The impact of several GP, patient and consultation characteristics on the calculated durations was investigated with repeated measurements analysis.Results The mean duration of a teledermatology consultation was 11:32 min (range 7:02-26:44 min). The activity 'filling out electronic referral form' was the most time consuming teledermatology activity (3:12 min; 28%). Most time was spent on non-TD related consultation activities, e.g. taking medical history (4:43 min; 41%). The first of the eight consultations (p<0.001) and consultations with female patients (p=0.032) took on average more time than subsequent consultations (first consultations 13:42 min (male patients) and 17:03 min (female patients), and subsequent consultations 9:56 min (male patients) and 11:08 min (female patients)).Conclusions Usage of store-and-forward teledermatology increases the average duration of a GP consultation with at least three and a half minutes. Further integration of teledermatology applications and electronic patients' records may reduce the total duration of a consultation and increase acceptance of teledermatology in general practice.
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Similar outcomes for time requirements were found in [9], where 11.5 minutes were calculated for a teledermatology consultation in primary care centres.
“Similar outcomes for time requirements were found in [9], were 11.5 minutes were calculated for a teledermatology consultation in primary care centres.”
From Lessons learned after a three-year store and forward teledermatology experience using internet: Strengths and limitations (2012) · cites this paper as [9]
As reported in [9], implementation of integration with EHR would reduce the time invested by GPs for teledermatology consultations.
“As was also reported in [9], its implementation would certainly reduce the time invested by GPs for teledermatology consultations.”
From Lessons learned after a three-year store and forward teledermatology experience using internet: Strengths and limitations (2012) · cites this paper as [9]
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- Authors
- Berghout, R. M., Eminović, N., de Keizer, N. F., & Birnie, E.
- Affiliations
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Erasmus MC (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Berghout, Rosanne M.
- ORCID
- Birnie, Erwin
- Venue
- International Journal of Medical Informatics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-12
- Volume
- 76
- Pages
- S384-S391
- ISSN
- 1386-5056 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2150139168
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 5.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Medical Informatics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Healthcare Systems and Technology
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Primary Care and Health Outcomes
- Keywords
- store-and-forward teledermatology, general practitioners, consultation time, time investment, electronic health records, dermatology, general practice, patient characteristics
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Dermatology, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Netherlands, Physicians, Family, Surveys and Questionnaires, Referral and Consultation, Task Performance and Analysis, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Telemedicine, Time Management
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