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Emergency dermatology: Three‐month experience from an Italian academic outpatient clinic during lockdown for COVID‐19 pandemic
- Source :
- Dermatologic Therapy
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2020.
-
Abstract
- Dermatology is a field of medicine where urgent cases occur commonly. However, access to specialized emergency dermatology services is very limited. Following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cessation of all elective dermatology visits was widely urged. Accordingly, in Italy, a country severely affected by the pandemic, various measures were applied and the care at university clinics was limited to urgent cases. Here we retrospectively analyzed data of patients who presented at an Italian academic outpatient clinic reserved only for emergency cases. In total, 252 patients (109 males and 143 females) with a mean age of 55.25±20.99 years were cared for at our clinic during a three-month period. We classified 10 patients (4%) as real emergency cases. Pityriasis rosea was diagnosed in three patients. Many patients sought care for skin cancer screening. In 131 patients (52%) dermoscopic skin examinations were performed. In 39 patients (15%), actinic keratosis or non-melanoma skin cancer was detected, while melanoma was diagnosed in three patients, two of which were proven later as in situ melanoma. 111 patients (44%) visited our clinic for other, non-urgent skin diseases. Our results imply that many patients felt that their skin problems required immediate attention, even if this could not be justified. Melanoma care may be considered an emergency care for its highly malignant potential and the possibility of rapid spreading. Adequately taken photos with a dermoscope may be readily read without the presence of specialist in the emergency room to prevent unnecessary delay in diagnosing oncologic skin diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Outpatient Clinics, Hospital
Time Factors
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pityriasis rosea
Dermoscopy
Dermatology
emergency dermatology
Skin Diseases
Health Services Accessibility
Short Papers
030207 dermatology & venereal diseases
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
COVID‐19
Pandemic
medicine
Outpatient clinic
Short Paper
Humans
Aged
Retrospective Studies
Remote Consultation
Academic Medical Centers
business.industry
Actinic keratosis
COVID-19
Retrospective cohort study
General Medicine
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
Italy
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Pityriasis rosea
skin cancer—melanoma
Female
Skin cancer
business
Emergency Service, Hospital
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15298019 and 13960296
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Dermatologic Therapy
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....2b82471ba10ba883e3b770e9ebafbad0