Andrew
Blauvelt
,
MD, MBA
Blauvelt Consulting, LLC
Annapolis
,
Maryland
,
United States
IPC Board Member
IMPROVING ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS, TIMELY DIAGNOSIS, AND OPTIMAL CARE
To date, digital health and telemedicine has been largely focused on “first contact visits.” Psoriasis presents unique challenges, including the need for long-term management. Digital health offers opportunities to develop novel approaches such as exploring artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and the personal management of psoriasis care. IPC convened a working group to establish a road map for how IPC can aid the development and implementation of digital health and telemedicine focused on psoriasis diagnosis and management. he digital health working group, chaired by Andrew Blauvelt and co-chaired by George Han, has completed a global consensus statement regarding telemedicine in psoriasis management, considering cultural and technological differences. Additional activities will include: defining best practices for using telemedicine in treating psoriasis, educating dermatologists on both the opportunities and limitations of telemedicine, and conducting research to understand better the barriers to care based on current reimbursement policies on a global level.
View more resources on digital health.
ABSTRACT
During the past few decades, classical in‐person communication has been enriched by opportunities for telemedicine. We are in a learning healthcare environment that takes advantage of the opportunities of telemedicine and in‐person consultations, reconciling the individuality of the patient and his/her psoriasis. A working group of experts in telemedicine was installed by the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) to formulate the opportunities and limitations of telemedicine in the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis. The working group formulated statements on various aspects of telemedicine according to the nominal group technique to reach a consensus on these statements and explore the variation of opinions. Thirty‐six statements regarding teledermatology and psoriasis were agreed upon by the IPC working group. The value and necessity for the implementation of teledermatology in dermatologic healthcare practices for psoriasis are essential. Management of psoriasis through teledermatology is feasible with a few exceptions. In this communication, the statements are presented and discussed in the context of the available literature, and finally, a call to action by IPC is formulated related to these statements.
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IPC Councilor Helen Young provides commentary on a study identifying skin-derived myeloid precursors and CD200+ fibroblasts as key drivers of psoriatic disease spread from the skin to joints, highlighting the CD200–CD200R1 axis as a promising therapeutic target.
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