Reinventing the Selfie: Telemedicine in a Tertiary Referral Sexual Medicine Practice
February 2018
in “
The journal of sexual medicine
”
Studysummary This study reviewed tele-consultations in a tertiary referral sexual medicine practice and found that some patients utilize photo-augmented telemedicine for inquiries about diagnoses, prescribed treatments, or results.
Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer
The study analyzed 428 tele-consultation encounters in a tertiary referral sexual medicine practice over one month, revealing over 5000 encounters annually. It focused on the feasibility of photo-augmented tele-consultations, with 31 (7.2%) encounters including graphic files. Of these, 12 (39%) were from male patients and 19 (61%) from female patients, with patients from 7 US states and 2 European countries. Diagnoses included Peyronie's disease, erectile dysfunction, and other sexual dysfunctions. Reasons for tele-consultation were mainly questions about physical diagnosis (23%), prescribed treatments (23%), and results (54%). The study demonstrated the potential of telemedicine in sexual medicine, despite the sensitive nature of the conditions.
