Thursday 5th December, Oxford – The UK’s most used teledermatology platform, Consultant Connect, has partnered with Bridges2Health&Rights and the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) to transform healthcare for people with severe skin conditions in Lebanon.
The teledermatology platform is providing vital diagnoses and improving healthcare for refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) in Lebanon by enabling communication between dermatology consultants in the UK and Europe with clinicians in Lebanon.
Clinicians can share images and messages with dermatology experts working with the Migrant Health Working Group (MHWG), part of the ILDS’s foundation, the International Foundation for Dermatology (IFD), using Consultant Connect’s technology. This helps healthcare workers on the ground with little knowledge about skin diseases to get rapid advice on complex conditions, leading to faster diagnoses and better treatment plans for patients.
Lebanon has one of the highest refugee and IDP populations per capita in the world as a result of conflict in the region. The dermatological needs of these displaced populations in Lebanon are a significant concern and skin diseases constitute up to 41% of the health complaints affecting Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Factors such as inadequate living conditions, environmental exposures, and restricted healthcare access contribute to the high prevalence of skin conditions. Moreover, healthcare providers may lack dermatology-specific training, leading to underdiagnosis or ineffective treatment.
Clinicians often see patients in the region with common but debilitating skin issues, such as scabies, fungal skin infections and cutaneous leishmaniasis, a neglected skin infectious disease caused by the bite of a sand fly in endemic areas. Skin communicable diseases are frequently associated with overcrowding and poor living conditions and constitute a significant public health concern as they can easily be transmitted and cause outbreaks in communities. Furthermore, they necessitate systemic treatment to prevent complications which carry significant morbidity and mortality.
Bridges2Health&Rights is dedicated to tackling severe skin and sexual conditions across the world, particularly in war-torn areas where access to healthcare is limited. They work to improve access to care and protection and train healthcare workers on the ground to better cater to the needs of local populations, particularly marginalised groups
This partnership, launched in August 2024, and as a result of Consultant Connect’s work with the Burma Skincare Initiative. Here, the tech is being used to connect NHS dermatologists with healthcare workers in Myanmar.
Jonathan Patrick, CEO at Consultant Connect said: “Bridges2Health&Rights and the ILDS are doing incredible work to expand healthcare access to refugees and IDPs in Lebanon. We are pleased to support them with access to our technology. Effective and fast diagnoses are very important to improve outcomes, especially for those who have been displaced. We’re determined to continue to improve healthcare access to patients in the most underserved areas across the world.”
Dr Valeska Padovese, co-founder of Bridges2Health&Rights and chair of the MHWG said: “Our partnership with Consultant Connect has been incredibly helpful for our work in treating skin and sexual conditions in Lebanon. We wanted an effective way to connect healthcare workers in Lebanon with experts around the world. We first heard about Consultant Connect from Professor Chris Griffiths at the Burma Skincare Initiative and were impressed with how it is helping to transform dermatological care in Myanmar.
“The App has been a game-changer for us, not only because it helps to provide the correct diagnosis and treatment for patients, but its data also allows us to upskill doctors who don’t have access to any other form of training. We can see the most common conditions, listen back to recordings of phone conversations or use the images confidentially to help healthcare workers identify conditions in future.”
