Dermatology in the digital age: advantages anda challenges

Abstract

The incorporation of new Information and Communications Technologies in the healthcare sector has fostered the adoption of innovations aimed at optimizing the quality of medical care. In this regard, the opportunities offered by electronic devices, geared toward the capture, transmission, and analysis of multimedia content, have generated growing interest in the application of teleconsultation for the management of skin diseases. Thus, teledermatology emerged, considered the most rapidly developing clinical specialty within digital medicine. Teledermatology guarantees accessible, convenient, and cost-effective care. It has proven advantageous in isolated communities, nursing homes, military conflicts, and penitentiary institutions, where distance and travel costs can limit access to specialized services. It is useful for the training and development of dermatologists, the training of residents, and patient education on the prevention of skin conditions. However, its implementation faces legal, social, ethical, and economic challenges that restrict the full utilization of its potential benefits. It constitutes a resource that requires greater exploitation given advances in technology and information, and it is the sole responsibility of health systems to promote its validation, introduction, innovation, regulation, improvement, and adaptation to the socioeconomic conditions of each context.