Randomized Open-Label Trial Comparing Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Consultation in the Follow-Up of Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Acne
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Acne Vulgaris
- Sponsor
- Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
- Enrollment
- 24
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Total time spent by dermatologist after baseline
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- last year
Overview
Brief Summary
Acne vulgaris is a common cutaneous inflammatory condition of sebaceous follicles that can profoundly affect patients' quality of life, especially at a young age. In this context the use of teledermatology can potentially reduce the healthcare costs associated to traditional consultations as well as the costs related to travel and loss of school/working time for the patient, with a clear benefit for the whole community. Since 2016, the Department of Dermatology at Inselspital Hospital in Bern has a portal and a smartphone app for online advice service.
Hereby the investigators propose to explicitly investigate the efficacy of this system in reducing healthcare costs as compared to traditional face-to-face consultations, in a cohort of patients with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Given written informed consent
- •Mild-to-moderate acne as assessed by IGA scale
- •Willingness and ability to adhere the study protocol
Exclusion Criteria
- •Need for systemic therapy for acne with Isotretinoin
- •Inability to use the teledermatology system
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Total time spent by dermatologist after baseline
Time Frame: 4 months
Total cumulative time spent by dermatologist for face-to-face consultations or online assessments after baseline.
Secondary Outcomes
- Number of therapies prescribed for acne(2, 4 and 6 months)
- Patient study satisfaction(6 months)
- Total time spent by patient after baseline(4 months)
- Acne severity improvement(2, 4 and 6 months)
- Patient quality of life improvement(6 months)