Pilot Study of the Pragmatic Use of Mobile Phone Based Follow up of Actinic Keratoses Treated With Topical 5-fluorouracil

Overview

In this study, subjects who are attending the dermatology clinic and who have already been prescribed topical 5-fluorouracial for the treatment of actinic keratoses as part of their standard of care will be recruited. The purpose of the study is to assess patient satisfaction when engaging in follow up treatment of actinic keratosis via the HIPAA-compliant teledermatology platform called Klara. Additionally, the goal is to assess the difference in total duration of treatment between treatment and control group. A total of 50 subjects will be enrolled and will be randomly assigned into the treatment group (teledermatology group; n=25) or control group (telephone only group; n=25).

Objectives To assess patient satisfaction when engaging in follow up treatment of actinic keratoses: Follow up of subjects with actinic keratoses (AK) who have been prescribed topical 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy as part of their standard of care. To assess the difference in total dose of exposure to 5-FU between treatment and control group. Background Teledermatology is a growing field within dermatology that has started to adapt the use of mobile phone technology (1). The growth of teledermatology has allowed greater access to care in both the inpatient and outpatient setting (1, 2), as well as in educational services (3). The aim of this study is to investigate how mobile phone photographic teledermatology can be adapted for use in the dermatology clinic to continually engage with the patient. More specifically, the researchers seek to understand how mobile phone technology can be used in the evaluation of subjects on topical 5-FU therapy for their actinic keratoses. Diffuse actinic damage is typically treated with field therapy (4) that involves the use of topical 5-FU. Patients are advised to apply the cream twice daily for 2-4 weeks (5). However, many patients note misunderstanding with these instructions (6). Typical follow up has included telephone based grading and in person follow up (5). However, a return visit to the clinic can be both burdensome to the patient and fill up the clinic with follow up appointments instead of allowing the appointment slot to go to examination of a new patient, thereby reducing access to care for other patients. Telephone conversations are not based on a physical exam and thus do not allow for objective evaluation of the treatment area. For this reason, the researchers seek to use mobile phone photography to evaluate patients with actinic keratoses on topical 5-FU treatment.