{"id":2879,"date":"2018-07-31T12:40:58","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T10:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.fondationpierrefabre.org\/our-programmes\/tropical-dermatology\/evaluation-de-la-tele-dermatologie\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T15:36:36","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T14:36:36","slug":"creation-of-a-teledermatology-service","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sandbox.fondationpierrefabre.org\/en\/our-programmes\/tropical-dermatology\/creation-of-a-teledermatology-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Creation of a national teledermatology service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Creation of a national teledermatology service<\/h1>\n

\u2014 Mali \u2014<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

In Mali, studies show an elevated rate of skin dise<\/a>ase that reaches as high as 30%*.\u00a0 These conditions are most often infectious dermatoses, such as impetigo, scabies and eczema. Though benign, they all can have disastrous consequences<\/strong>. In children, impetigo can cause heart valve valvulopathy, or even kidney failure. Unfortunately, with very few dermatologists (approximately one per 720,000 inhabitants, most based in the country\u2019s capital), the country is facing a shortage of specialists and low skill levels in peripheral health facilities.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the healthcare workers at these centres freely seek advice from specialists by using mobile phones, which are becoming increasingly widespread across the continent. After observing this phenomenon, Professor Ousmane Faye, Director of the Bamako Dermatology Hospital, came up with the idea of \u200b\u200busing tele-expertise (one or more healthcare professionals communicating via information and communication technologies, or ICTs) to diagnose and oversee treatment of skin diseases. As dermatology relies heavily on visual observation, ICTs can be particularly effective tools in diagnosis and treatment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

An 18-month pilot programme was begun in 2015 to test this model\u2019s effectiveness, an undertaking that was supported by the Fondation Pierre Fabre in the Koulikoro, Sikasso and Mopti regions.<\/p>\n

This pilot programme helped confirm key factors to success: twenty general practitioners and nurses were trained in the diagnosis and treatment of common dermatoses that do not require a dermatologist\u2019s expertise, so as to keep the project focused on complicated cases. They were also trained in digital tools, including how to take high-quality photos of symptoms<\/strong>. When a patient has a pathology that these GPs and nurses do not know how to treat themselves, these professionals send photos of the dermatological lesions through a tele-expertise platform known as \u201cBogou\u201d<\/strong> (meaning \u201cmutual aid\u201d in Bambara). This platform makes it possible for dermatologists to evaluate complex cases and issue a diagnosis and treatment recommendations, usually that same day. The 10 pilot health centres were also provided with digital cameras and Internet connections.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assessment of this pilot programme, especially verifying how often the remote diagnosis was consistent with the later physical verification of the illness, helped demonstrate how new technologies can improve skin health in the country\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

This pilot project was covered extensively in a journal: Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease<\/em>:\u00a0\u00a0A teledermatology pilot programme for the management of skin diseases in primary health care centres: Experiences from a Resource-Limited Country (Mali, West Africa)<\/em>. (Faye O., Bagayoko C.O., Dicko A., Cise\u00e9 L., Berth\u00e9 S., Traor\u00e9 B., Fofana Y., Niang M., Traor\u00e9 S.T., Karabinta Y., et al. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2018;3:88. doi: 10.3390\/tropicalmed3030088)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>