Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine
Open Access

Rapid digital progress and the ubiquitous availability of smartphones have revolutionized our daily lives in almost all areas. These developments have also had a significant impact on the medical sector, particularly through the increasing popularity of "health apps". The data on the use of these health apps is currently contradictory. However, they are particularly suitable for symptom monitoring in dermatology.

Use of digital health applications

The influence of e-health smartphone apps in dermatology has increased significantly in recent years [1]. Scientifically proven benefits have already been demonstrated for numerous internal diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension or obesity. [2] Dermatology is particularly suitable for telemedicine applications due to the visible symptoms. Randomised controlled intervention studies investigating the effect of health apps on dermatological diseases have been published in the last 36 months, e.g. a randomized controlled trial for psoriasis patients and for hand and foot eczema patients [3,4]. These studies demonstrated the positive impact of digital health applications in improving clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients with chronic skin disease. The ability to quickly communicate with the treating physician in the event of worsening symptoms was seen as a major benefit of such telehealth applications, leading to an improvement in quality of life [5].

Digital health apps that are co-created and co-managed by physicians and patients have obvious benefits. Some of them enable ongoing patient education on demand. Traditional patient education tends to convey a great deal of information in a short period of time, which can be overwhelming for the patient's ability to comprehend. This is where health apps can help by providing the user with a "reference book" at their fingertips.

In addition, some of these applications provide a pragmatic and quick way to contact the appropriate physician. Clinical experience shows that due to personal commitments, lack of time or other reasons, some patients often delay consulting their physician [6]. Telemedicine formats, some of them supported by artificial intelligence, can be of help in this regard and enable effective diagnosis and care, which in turn has a positive impact on the dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship. In particular, the COVID pandemic has shown us that telemedicine applications can make our daily lives easier and save healthcare costs. Ninosu, et al., were able to show that during the COVID pandemic, psoriasis patients did not attend appointments due to fear of COVID infection [7]. A tele-dermatology approach to treating these patients would have been a possible solution to this problem.

Although the technology is now available, many patients still have concerns, particularly about the ability of tele-dermatology to address their medical concerns and their personal problems. They indicated a preference for face-to-face consultations [8].

This shows us the limitations of tele-dermatology care. Telehealth applications can exclude the elderly, those without Internet access and those with limited language skills. In addition, patients need to own devices such as smartphones, which can be a problem for people with lower incomes [9]. In addition, personal contact with a doctor is very important for many patients and can be part of an effective therapy in itself.

Overall, digitalization and telemedicine in the healthcare sector are experiencing a positive development, especially in the field of dermatology. The use of health apps has considerable potential to improve patient care, enhance quality of life and enrich the nature of the doctor-patient relationship. However, more research is needed to understand exactly in which medical areas telemedicine care is most effective and what limitations telemedicine may have. It is essential to continue this research in order to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by these innovative approaches, while addressing potential challenges. Tele-dermatology offers the advantages of time savings and practicality, but according to the current state of knowledge, it cannot completely replace the personal doctor-patient contact.

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