This systematic review and meta-analysis compared teledermatology and face-to-face agreement in primary diagnoses of dermatological conditions. 44 studies were extracted and reviewed. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to estimate pooled estimates. Primary outcome measures were mean percentage and kappa concordance for assessing diagnostic matches between teledermatology and face-to-face physicians. Secondary outcome measures included the agreement between teledermatologists, face-to-face dermatologists, and teledermatology and histopathology results.
Teledermatology can be an attractive option particularly in resource-poor settings, especially when high-quality imaging is included.
- The pooled agreement rate was 68.9%, and kappa concordance was 0.67.
- When dermatologists conducted face-to-face and teledermatology consultations, the overall diagnostic agreement was significantly higher at 71% compared with 44% for non-specialists.
- Kappa concordance was 0.69 for teledermatologist versus specialist and 0.52 for non-specialists.
- Higher diagnostic agreements were also noted with image acquisition training and digital photography. The agreement rate was 76.4% between teledermatologists, 82.4% between F2F physicians and 55.7% between teledermatology and histopathology.
Read more: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/8/e068207.long
