Skin Diseases
Conditions
Brief summary
Introduction: Previous studies confirm that teledermatology allows the generation of a quick response from the specialist's consultation, reduction of unnecessary travels, early diagnosis and priority in the attention to the most urgent cases. Despite these advantages and that teledermatology has experienced exponential growth since its introduction approximately 16 years ago in Spain, in Andalusia, its use is still very limited. The objective of this project will be to carry out an analysis of the quality of life related to health, costs, cost-utility and informal care of teledermatology services in Primary Care compared to conventional monitoring carried out at the Hospital de Poniente. Methodology: A randomized, controlled, unmasked, inter-level clinical trial (Primary Care-Hospital de Poniente) and multicentre (all health centers attached to the Poniente Health District of Almería) will be carried out with a 6-month follow-up. Patients will be assigned to the teledermatology group (experimental) or the conventional monitoring group in the hospital (control). The patients included in the experimental group will be monitored asynchronously. Baseline characteristics, number of visits to the hospital, health-related quality of life, costs, informal care and satisfaction from the perspective of the Andalusian Public Health System and patients and their caregivers will be analyzed. The generic EuroQol-5D questionnaire (EQ-5D) will be administered to assess health-related quality of life and the SKINDEX-29 quality of life dermatological questionnaire. A cost-utility analysis will be performed to assess whether tele-dermatology is cost-effective in terms of additional cost for additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).
Interventions
OTHERTeledermatology
The experimental group will be made up of dermatological patients monitored asynchronously.
Sponsors
Universidad de Almeria
Antonio Lopez Villegas
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 1\. Be over 18 years old. * 2\. Having any skin disease. * 3\. Accept to participate in the study.
Exclusion criteria
* 1\. Non-dermatological disease. * 2\. Be participating in another study. * 3\. Refuse to participate in the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| EuroQol-5Dimensions questionnaire | 6 months | From -1 \[the poorest imaginable health state\] to 1 \[perfect health\] |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dermatological Quality of Life Questionnaire | 6 months | 0 (no effect on quality of life) up to 100 (maximum effect on quality of life) |
| Healthcare costs | 6 months | Costs paid by the Public Health System |
| Clinical features | 6 months | Patient's age; sex; diagnosis; origin; indication (type of dermatological problem); number of visits |
| In-depth interviews on the healthcare received in Primary Care centers | 6 months | 1\) healthcare center, 2) procedure to make an appointment, 3) medical consultation, 4) nursing consultation |
| Health Care Communication Questionnaire | 6 months | The 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much). |
| Informal cost | 6 months | Costs paid by the patients |
Countries
Spain
Outcome results
None listed