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Teledermatology in Military Settings

  • Teledermatology (D Oh, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review summarizes the history and usage of teledermatology in the US Military and potential directions in the future.

Recent Findings

Given the remote and austere environment that operational settings present, it is hard to provide specialized medical care for soldiers who are deployed. Telemedicine has been shown to improve health care in the military. It is well documented that non-life-threatening skin disease comprises the majority of specialty care requests in the deployed setting. Thus, teledermatology is a critical resource in military operational medical settings.

Summary

Teledermatology continues as a critical component of military medicine to preserve the fighting forces by increasing access to specialty care. Teledermatology evaluations are more cost-effective and efficient than in-person consults at field hospitals. The US military continues to devise improved technology for teledermatology quality, including artificial intelligence. These advances may allow for autonomous teledermatology consults in the future for austere settings without bandwidth.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Lauren A. Schafrank

  2. Department of Dermatology, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, TX, 76544-4752, USA

    Rachel C. Falkner

  3. Department of Dermatology, Madigan Army Medical Center, Lacey, WA, 98431, USA

    Thomas K. Lam

  4. Department of Dermatology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA

    Jon H. Meyerle

Authors
  1. Lauren A. Schafrank
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  2. Rachel C. Falkner
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  3. Thomas K. Lam
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  4. Jon H. Meyerle
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jon H. Meyerle.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Teledermatology

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Schafrank, L.A., Falkner, R.C., Lam, T.K. et al. Teledermatology in Military Settings . Curr Derm Rep 10, 33–39 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-021-00330-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-021-00330-9

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