International Psoriasis Council

Advancing Knowledge. Enhancing Care.

Advancing Knowledge. Enhancing Care.

Telemedicine and Psoriasis

IMPROVING ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS, TIMELY DIAGNOSIS, AND OPTIMAL CARE

Project Description

To date, telemedicine has been largely focused on “first contact visits.” Psoriasis presents unique challenges, including the need for long-term management. Telemedicine 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 telemedicine focused on psoriasis diagnosis and management. The telemedicine working group, chaired by Alexander Navarrini and co-chaired by Joel Gelfand, 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.

Project Leaders

Alexander

Navarini

,

MD, PhD

University Hospital of Basel
Basel
,
Switzerland
Peter van de Kerkhof Headshot

Peter

van de Kerkhof

,

MD, PhD

International Psoriasis Council
Amsterdam
,
Netherlands

Working Group Members

  • April Armstrong, United States
  • Andrea Chiricozzi, Italy
  • Vahid Diamei, Switzerland
  • Mohamed El-Komy, Egypt
  • Christophe Hsu, Switzerland

Project Results

PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

 

TELEMEDICINE AND PSORIASIS: A REVIEW BASED ON STATEMENTS OF THE TELEMEDICINE WORKING GROUP OF THE INTERNATIONAL PSORIASIS COUNCIL

El Komy MHM, Chiricozzi A, van de Kerkhof P, et al. JEADV Clin Prac. 2022;1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/jvc2.93.

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.

Link to article

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