Profile of Dermatology Consultations for Inpatients: The Scope for Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Background: Attending dermatology consultations for inpatients is an integral part of the role of dermatologists inpatient care. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a large tertiary care hospital when the country, particularly the city, was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim was to study the profile of dermatology referrals for inpatients at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and assessing the need for telemedicine in these inpatients. Results: A total of 341 dermatology consultations for 288 patients were received. Most of the consultations were from internal medicine (15.3) and obstetrics and gynecology (8.7). Around 65 of consultations were for new-onset (≤30 days) skin conditions while around 35 were for chronic (>30 days) conditions. The most commonly seen conditions were superficial fungal infections (14.9) followed by eczematous disorders (13.2). On grading the level of urgency of the referrals, 34.4 required an immediate consultation, 41 required it within a week, 12.8 within 2-4 weeks, 8 within 1-3 months, and 3.8 after the pandemic settles. The need for urgent consultation was more in acute cases than in chronic cases (P = 0.00). 62.5 of the consultations could have been done by telemedicine. Conclusion: As a majority of the consultations were for common and straightforward skin conditions and could mostly be done on telemedicine, this study underlines the need for strengthening the telemedicine services for inpatients referrals during this COVID-19 pandemic and even beyond. Keywords: COVID-19, dermatology consultations, inpatient consultations, referrals, teledermatology, telemedicine