A Teledermatology Pilot Programme for the Management of Skin Diseases in Primary Health Care Centres: Experiences from a Resource-Limited Country (Mali, West Africa)
| Autor: | Mamadou Gassama, Yamoussa Karabinta, S. Berthé, Antoine Mahé, Somita Keita, Seydou Tidiane Traore, Lamissa Cisse, Alimata Keita, Youssouf Fofana, Cheick Oumar Bagayoko, Teledermali Team, Koreissi Tall, Bekaye Traoré, B. Guindo, Mahamoudan Niang, Antoine Geissbuhler, Ousmane Faye, Adama Dicko |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Teledermatology tele-expertise Primary health care lcsh:Medicine Developing country Article West africa Limited access 030207 dermatology & venereal diseases 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Health care medicine 030212 general & internal medicine teledermatology General Immunology and Microbiology business.industry lcsh:R Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health primary health care Infectious Diseases skin diseases Family medicine Africa Rural area business Limited resources |
| Zdroj: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Volume 3 Issue 3 Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Vol 3, Iss 3, p 88 (2018) |
| ISSN: | 2414-6366 |
| Popis: | In sub-Saharan Africa, in particular in rural areas, patients have limited access to doctors with specialist skills in skin diseases. To address this issue, a teledermatology pilot programme focused on primary health centres was set up in Mali. This study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of this programme and its impact on the management of skin diseases. The programme was based on the store-and-forward model. Health care providers from 10 primary centres were trained to manage common skin diseases, to capture images of skin lesions, and to use an e-platform to post all cases beyond their expertise for dermatologists in order to obtain diagnosis and treatment recommendations. After training, the cases of 180 patients were posted by trained health workers on the platform. Ninety-six per cent of these patients were properly managed via the responses given by dermatologists. The mean time to receive the expert’s response was 32 h (range: 13 min to 20 days). Analysis of all diseases diagnosed via the platform revealed a wide range of skin disorders. Our initiative hugely improved the management of all skin diseases in the targeted health centres. In developing countries, Internet accessibility and connection quality represent the main challenges when conducting teledermatology programmes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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