{"title":"Towards 'Formalising' WhatsApp Teledermatology Practice in KZ-N District Hospitals: Key Informant Interviews.","authors":"Christopher Morris, Richard E Scott, Maurice Mars","doi":"10.3390/ijerph21101388","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>District hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, do not have onsite specialist dermatology services. Doctors at these hospitals use WhatsApp instant messaging to informally seek advice from dermatologists and colleagues before possible referral. They have expressed the need to formalise WhatsApp teledermatology.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To determine the views and perspectives of clinicians on the feasibility and practicality of formalising the current WhatsApp-based teledermatology activities within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Dermatology Service.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Key informant interviews with 12 purposively selected doctors at district hospitals and all 14 dermatologists in the KwaZulu-Natal dermatology service. Their views and perspectives on formalising the current informal use of WhatsApp for teledermatology were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five primary themes (communication, usability, utility, process, and poor understanding of legal, regulatory, and ethical issues) and 22 sub-themes were identified. Clinicians wanted WhatsApp teledermatology to continue, be formalised, and be incorporated within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, facilitated by the provision of practical guidelines addressing legal, regulatory, and ethical issues.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings will be used to develop a policy brief, providing recommendations and proposed guidelines for formalising the teledermatology service. The findings and methods will be relevant to similar circumstances in other countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":49056,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health","volume":"21 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11507593/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health","FirstCategoryId":"103","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21101388","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: District hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, do not have onsite specialist dermatology services. Doctors at these hospitals use WhatsApp instant messaging to informally seek advice from dermatologists and colleagues before possible referral. They have expressed the need to formalise WhatsApp teledermatology.
Aim: To determine the views and perspectives of clinicians on the feasibility and practicality of formalising the current WhatsApp-based teledermatology activities within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Dermatology Service.
Methods: Key informant interviews with 12 purposively selected doctors at district hospitals and all 14 dermatologists in the KwaZulu-Natal dermatology service. Their views and perspectives on formalising the current informal use of WhatsApp for teledermatology were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed.
Results: Five primary themes (communication, usability, utility, process, and poor understanding of legal, regulatory, and ethical issues) and 22 sub-themes were identified. Clinicians wanted WhatsApp teledermatology to continue, be formalised, and be incorporated within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, facilitated by the provision of practical guidelines addressing legal, regulatory, and ethical issues.
Conclusions: These findings will be used to develop a policy brief, providing recommendations and proposed guidelines for formalising the teledermatology service. The findings and methods will be relevant to similar circumstances in other countries.
期刊介绍：
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) (ISSN 1660-4601) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles, critical reviews, research notes, and short communications in the interdisciplinary area of environmental health sciences and public health. It links several scientific disciplines including biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, computer science, ecology, engineering, epidemiology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, oncology, pathology, pharmacology, and toxicology, in an integrated fashion, to address critical issues related to environmental quality and public health. Therefore, IJERPH focuses on the publication of scientific and technical information on the impacts of natural phenomena and anthropogenic factors on the quality of our environment, the interrelationships between environmental health and the quality of life, as well as the socio-cultural, political, economic, and legal considerations related to environmental stewardship and public health.
The 2018 IJERPH Outstanding Reviewer Award has been launched! This award acknowledge those who have generously dedicated their time to review manuscripts submitted to IJERPH. See full details at http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/awards.
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