1. COVID-19, pseudo-declining skin cancer rates and the rise of teledermatology [version 1; peer review: 1 approved]
- Author
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Joanna Ludzik, Claudia Lee, and Alexander Witkowski
- Subjects
Opinion Article ,Articles ,Skin cancer screening ,teledermoscopy ,covid-19 ,coronavirus ,teledermatology ,melanoma ,mobile dermoscopy - Abstract
In late 2019, the world was introduced to the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus that shook the global medical community. By early 2020, the new coronavirus strain led to the rapid spread of a disease that earned its classification as a pandemic, prompting authorities to enforce new health regulations that significantly limited access to in-person medical evaluations, and resulted in a significant reduction in skin cancer diagnosis volume over the course of the pandemic. Skin cancer is amongst the most common and frequently diagnosed cancers, with incidence rates steadily increasing for the past few decades, until recently when world-wide changes to the health system drastically reduced opportunities for screening, diagnosis and management. In order to optimize patient treatment in the midst of the pandemic, practicing providers relied heavily on remote alternatives, sparking a huge spike in teledermatology practices globally. The successful adoption of widescale teledermatology allowed improved triage of concerning skin lesions requiring urgent face-to-face assessment, which helped mitigate the repercussions of delayed diagnosis and management. The detrimental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have permanently changed the way we view and practice medicine, and it is imperative that the medical community continues to improve modern healthcare, through continued technological innovations that will advance this new technologically-reliant age of medicine.
- Published
- 2021
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