Background: Dermatological presentations are common in primary care. The digital health space is growing in investment, revenue and in usership numbers. Doctors utilise mobile Health apps for referencing, communicating and for clinical decision-makin. Dermabuddy is a secure mobile health app by which information and expertise around skin problems can be shared among a group of medical professionals with the aim of finding the best treatment and management plan.
Aim: The primary aim of this study is to assess the utility of the DermaBuddy health app for General Practitioners and associated trainees in Ireland.
Design & setting: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which involved a survey link distributed by email.
Method: General Practitioners were surveyed, on their experiences of using the dermatology mobile application Dermabuddy RESULTS: 203 members took this questionnaire (13.5% response rate). 96% responding to "This app was easy to use" agreed it was easy or very easy. 87% of those who responded to "I would use this app again" agreed they would. 58% of those who responded to "This app is useful for my healthcare practice" gave it a five star rating. The content of 36 comments included advice for improvement and positive feedback.
Conclusion: The Dermabuddy app is well received by participants in this study. Across all sections of the questionnaire looking at the aspects of the app including ease of use, interface and satisfaction and usefulness there was a positive response. Mobile health apps such as Dermabuddy may provide alternative solutions to meet the rising challenge of managing patients with Dermatological conditions in primary care.
Keywords: Dermatology.
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