Evaluation Of Medical Students’ Awareness, Attitudes, And Preferences Regarding Teledermatology

Abstract

Introduction: Teledermatology enables remote evaluation of dermatological conditions through digital imaging and communication technologies and is considered particularly feasible due to the visual nature of dermatological examination.
Objectives: To assess medical students’ awareness, knowledge, attitudes, experiences, and preferences regarding teledermatology.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 286 medical students. Data were collected via a questionnaire developed from the literature and reviewed by dermatologists, administered both online and face-to-face. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0. Categorical variables were analyzed with the chi-square test, with Bonferroni correction for post hoc comparisons. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The mean age was 20.38 ± 1.68 years, with equal sex distribution. Overall, 50.3% had never heard of teledermatology, and only 32.2% were familiar with it. Most participants (76.2%) did not believe teledermatology could match face-to-face diagnostic accuracy. Support for official implementation was 30.8%, while 26.9% preferred teledermatological consultation. Only 4.5% had prior experience. Reported advantages included improved access to dermatologists (70.6%), increased patient evaluation capacity (56.3%), and reduced cost and time (54.5%). Disadvantages included misdiagnosis risk (72.7%), reliance on technical infrastructure (39.2%), and image quality issues (37.8%). Sex differences were significant only for misdiagnosis perception (P=0.001). Awareness increased with age (P=0.000), and prior awareness influenced preferences (P=0.012). No association was found with class level or economic status.
Conclusions: Medical students show limited awareness but generally positive attitudes toward teledermatology. Concerns include infrastructure, image quality, and diagnostic reliability. Integrating telemedicine training into medical curricula may improve knowledge, confidence, and adoption.