HIQA publishes report on the use of teledermatology to support the management of primary care referrals
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published a health technology assessment (HTA) of teledermatology. The assessment was requested by the Health Service Executive (HSE), to inform a decision on whether to introduce teledermatology to support the management of primary care referrals in Ireland.
Demand for dermatology services in Ireland has risen due to an increasing and ageing population, increasing skin cancer rates, and advances in treatment for chronic skin conditions.
Each year there are approximately 150,000 completed outpatient appointments in public dermatology services — two thirds of which relate to return patients. In 2024 there were almost 100,000 new referrals, but demand for these services exceeds capacity. As of June 2025, there were over 60,000 patients in Ireland on waiting lists for a consultant dermatologist appointment, with some people waiting up to three years for a routine appointment. Long delays in receiving specialist care place a significant burden on patients and can worsen health outcomes.
With teledermatology, photos taken during the GP consultation would be included with the referral letter to the dermatologist. The dermatologist would then use the photos alongside the referral letter to help decide how urgently the patient needs to be seen, or whether their condition can safely continue to be managed in a primary care setting. This HTA found that teledermatology is a safe and effective way to help manage referrals when it is used as part of a complete clinical pathway.
While investment would be required in primary care, equipment and additional consultant staff, there would also be efficiency gains. HIQA estimated that a teledermatology-supported referral pathway would cost an additional €2.7 million over 10 years, but would enable an additional 270,000 patients to be managed compared with the current referral system.
Commenting on the findings, HIQA’s Chief Scientist, Dr Conor Teljeur, said:
“Our HTA found that TD-supported referral management could be implemented in the short-term to help reduce waiting times in Irish dermatology services and support the timely delivery of safe and effective care. Teledermatology is widely used internationally, and we found a large body of evidence to support its use. However, teledermatology can only do so much to bridge the gap between demand and capacity. There remains an urgent need to recruit more consultant dermatologists.”
ENDS
Further information:
Caoimhe O’Connell, Communications Manager caoconnell@hiqa.ie
Notes for Editor:
- HIQA has today published the following documents:
- The HTA was informed by a public and targeted consultation, which ran for six weeks from 6 November to 18 December 2025. Details of the consultation process are provided in the associated statement of outcomes report, also published on the HIQA website.
- Teledermatology involves a dermatologist using photos, videos, or live interactive video as well as clinical information to support patient management. It enables some referrals to be managed without a face-to-face consultation. Most international healthcare systems that have adopted teledermatology use photos that are obtained during the primary care appointment and are included in the referral to the dermatologist.
- The store-and-forward model assessed in the HTA utilises existing HSE e- referral pathways (Healthlink) to facilitate attaching images to referral letters. Importantly, GPs would need to be provided with appropriate cameras, and dermatologists with computers/laptops to review images.
- If dermatology referral rates grow in line with population growth and demographic changes, they will reach over 120,000 new referrals each year by 2035. Without changes to the current referral management process, waiting lists are likely to exceed 370,000 people within 10 years. This estimate assumes recruitment of an additional five whole-time equivalent dermatologists each year, which may be achievable based on historical recruitment and training capacity.
About HIQA
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is the independent body that promotes safety and quality in the provision of health and social care services in Ireland.
Through its regulation, standard setting and evidence to inform decision-making functions, HIQA supports health and social care services to consistently deliver excellent standards of care and the best possible health and social care outcomes for all.