The pandemic has served as a catalyst in telemedicine. Medical video consultations have gained significant importance, and since October 2021, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) has been testing the so-called Video-Visit, a tool designed to replace in-person visits with online consultations when appropriate.

In addition to the pandemic situation, there are further reasons for offering remote medical consultations:

The implementation of tele-consultations is an ideal solution for immobile patients – the proportion of this patient group will rise along with the population pyramid.

At the same time, the shortage of resources for healthcare, particularly for the elderly (lack of caregivers, financing, etc.), is becoming increasingly apparent, and the nursing crisis has been a cause for concern even before the pandemic. According to a study by Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, approximately 75,000 additional caregivers will be needed by 2030 (“Care Staff Demand Forecast for Austria,” GÖG, November 2019).

Moreover, there is an increasing shortage of (specialist) doctors. In 2019, there were 829 dermatologists in Austria (source: https://www.aerztekammer.at/daten-fakten). With the upcoming retirement wave of the 50+ generation, the Austrian healthcare system and primary healthcare, particularly in rural areas, will face major challenges.

While the number of dermatologists is decreasing, the number of skin cancer cases is rising simultaneously: In 1983, there were 447 new cases, and in 2018, there were already 1,471 cases.

While there are certainly more than ten medical fields that are suitable for telemedicine applications, it is teledermatology that, due to its image-based focus, seems particularly suited to function as a “door opener” for broader remote healthcare services. There are different types of teledermatology treatment, one of which, video consultation, has gained significant popularity. Several international studies report the success of teledermatology. The usefulness and efficiency of teledermatology, especially in rural areas, was confirmed in Scandinavia even before the pandemic (Use of the mobile phone multimedia messaging service for teledermatology, Alexander Börve, Anna Holst, Anette Gente-Lidholm, Raquel Molina-Martinez, John Paoli; July 2012).