Digital health turns primary care into a long-term partner for chronic skin disease management

Chronic skin diseases impose a heavy global health burden, with 15%–25% of outpatient visits in China related to these conditions, often accompanied by psychological and metabolic comorbidities. Traditional specialist-centered care models suffer from delayed access and insufficient long-term follow-up, leaving primary care systems ill-equipped for continuous management.

Researchers conducted a structured review of peer-reviewed studies and clinical guidelines to examine how digital health can empower general practitioners (GPs) across the full disease continuum. The review finds that AI image recognition improves GPs’ diagnostic accuracy for common skin conditions, while teledermatology achieves ~84% diagnostic concordance and reduces unnecessary referrals. Digital follow-up tools enhance treatment adherence and reduce recurrence rates for conditions like eczema.

These technologies are driving a shift from single-visit care to primary care-led lifecycle management. However, barriers remain, including limited GP dermatology training, inadequate infrastructure, and fragmented referral pathways. The authors propose three core strategies: tiered GP certification training, telemedicine-enabled system integration, and digital patient self-management support.

This work provides evidence-based insights to improve access to high-quality dermatological care. The work titled “Digital Health-Enabled Primary Care Dermatology: Review of Integrated Management Models for Chronic Skin Diseases” was published on Skin (published on June 8, 2026).