Teledermatology - A success story from the Netherlands

Bas Van Nispen, KSYOS TeleMedical Centre i Amsterdam. Photo: Jarl-Stian Olsen, NST

Demographic changes require changes in the way the public health service has functioned up to now. With an ageing population, change in the health service becomes a necessity, and telemedicine is one of the methods that can be used.

KSYOS in the Netherlands has developed a teledermatology service between the general practitioner and specialist using a digital camera, videoconferencing, and secure communication channels. The service is now used in day-to-day activities. This simplifies the work of both the GP and the specialist, and makes everyday life easier for patients.

- Our experience is that telemedicine improves the efficiency of the health service through the use of teledermatology. This is also the most frequently used telemedicine service in the Netherlands so far, says Bas Van Nispen.

Avoids unnecessary referrals

Total referrals to dermatologists have been reduced by 63% since the system started functioning in day-to-day activities, he continues. The dermatologists say that they avoid many unnecessary referrals, and they can now concentrate on the patients who really need to visit them.

- The GPs enjoy working with the system, and they like the learning effect and the enhancement of skills that it gives them. They also think that this is a completely natural way of working, says Van Nispen.

Patients, too, appreciate the system. They value the almost immediate response. With teledermatological consultations, they save travel expenses and loss of working hours. As the response time from the specialist to the GP is only 6 hours, the process is highly efficient.

Rapid rise in the number of consultations

On average there are now 50 teledermatological consultations every day. In total, there have been 15,000 consultations since the service was introduced. In 2007 alone, there were more than 7,000 consultations, and this figure is expected to rise to more than 10,000 in 2008

There has been a 60% increase in the number of teleconsultations in dermatology, and this saves costs for society. The specialists have a time limit of two days to reply to the GPs, but on average they take only 6 hours to respond.