Skin infections and conditions

• Can I talk to a doctor on Gotodoctor.ca about my skin infections?

Yes, Gotodoctor.ca provides virtual care services for skin infections. A doctor will take a comprehensive history and may provide you with prescriptions. Depending on the severity of symptoms further recommendations will be provided. If a patient has a severe skin infection the doctor will direct him/her to clinic treatment.

• What are skin infections?

Skin infections are caused by a wide variety of pathogens which results in pain, swelling and discomfort^[1]. Underlying etiology can be bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections. Common skin infections are cellulitis, impetigo, erysipelas and folliculitis^{[2] [3] [4, 5]}. If a minor skin infection is left untreated, it may progress and lead to life-threatening conditions such as sepsis^[6-8].

• What are the symptoms of skin infections?

Symptoms of skin infections are itching, fever, rash, pus-filled blisters, tenderness and changes in skin color^{[9] [10]}. A doctor will be able to diagnose different types of skin infections by identifying characteristic symptoms. Symptoms may vary according to the pathogenic agent. The skin infections may spread at a rapid rate and can be fatal if not detected and treated in the early stages^[11].

• How are skin infections treated?

A doctor decides on treatment after taking a comprehensive history of the patient. Treatment of skin infections depends on the type of the infectious agent. Antihistamines are prescribed to reduce inflammation. Pain relief medications may be prescribed to make the patient free of pain^{[12, 13]} and prescriptions for antibiotic drugs may be provided to treat bacterial skin infections^[14].

• How can an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca treat skin infections?

Online doctors on Gotodoctor.ca treat skin infection through virtual care services. An appointment can be easily made with an online doctor. A skin infection can be treated via virtual care methods ^[15-24]. An online doctor will take a comprehensive history of your signs and symptoms and may provide you with prescriptions. Prescriptions can be obtained by online doctors. Virtual care services provided by Gotodoctor.ca assure comfort, convenience and a higher level of care for the patient^[25-27].

References

1. Stevens, D.L., et al., Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of skin and soft-tissue infections. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2005. 41(10): p. 1373-1406.
2. Esposito, S., T. Ascione, and P. Pagliano, Management of bacterial skin and skin structure infections with polymicrobial etiology. Expert review of anti-infective therapy, 2019. 17(1): p. 17-25.
3. Kaye, K.S., et al., Current epidemiology, etiology, and burden of acute skin infections in the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2019. 68(Supplement_3): p. S193-S199.
4. Gunderson, C.G., Cellulitis: definition, etiology, and clinical features. The American journal of medicine, 2011. 124(12): p. 1113-1122.
5. Miller, L.G., Another new antibiotic for skin infections and why infectious disease specialists are hypocrites. 2019, Oxford University Press US.
6. Dupuy, A., et al., Risk factors for erysipelas of the leg (cellulitis): case-control study. Bmj, 1999. 318(7198): p. 1591-1594.
7. Chlebicki, M.P. and C.C. Oh, Recurrent cellulitis: risk factors, etiology, pathogenesis and treatment. Current infectious disease reports, 2014. 16(9): p. 422.
8. Fendel, S. and B. Schrader, Investigation of skin and skin lesions by NIR-FT-Raman spectroscopy. Fresenius’ journal of analytical chemistry, 1998. 360(5): p. 609-613.
9. Bouaziz, J., et al., Vascular skin symptoms in COVID‐19: a french observational study. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020. 34(9): p. e451-e452.
10. Allmon, A., K. Deane, and K.L. Martin, Common skin rashes in children. American family physician, 2015. 92(3): p. 211-216.
11. DiNubile, M.J. and B.A. Lipsky, Complicated infections of skin and skin structures: when the infection is more than skin deep. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2004. 53(suppl_2): p. ii37-ii50.
12. Al Alayed, K., C. Tan, and N. Daneman, Red flags for necrotizing fasciitis: a case control study. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2015. 36: p. 15-20.
13. Hersh, A.L., et al., National trends in ambulatory visits and antibiotic prescribing for skin and soft-tissue infections. Archives of internal medicine, 2008. 168(14): p. 1585-1591.
14. Kowalski, M.L., et al., Hypersensitivity to nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)–classification, diagnosis and management: review of the EAACI/ENDA# and GA2LEN/HANNA. Allergy, 2011. 66(7): p. 818-829.
15. Gunasekeran, D.V., et al., Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Follow-up for Patients With Abdominal Pain Using Video Consultation (SAVED Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. 22(6): p. e17417-e17417.
16. Myers, D.R., et al., Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers. Scientific Reports, 2017. 7(1): p. 12750.
17. Staub, G., J. Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: A comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110.
18. Almathami, H.K.Y., K.T. Win, and E. Vlahu-Gjorgievska, Barriers and Facilitators That Influence Telemedicine-Based, Real-Time, Online Consultation at Patients’ Homes: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res, 2020. 22(2): p. e16407.
19. Bokolo Anthony, J., Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Medical Systems, 2020. 44(7): p. 132.
20. Deldar, K., K. Bahaadinbeigy, and S.M. Tara, Teleconsultation and Clinical Decision Making: a Systematic Review. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2016. 24(4): p. 286-292.
21. Eaton, L.H., et al., Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management. Contemporary clinical trials, 2014. 38(2): p. 213-220.
22. Wang, X., et al., Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Service System Considering Patients’ Choice. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2019. 2019: p. 7642176.
23. Williams, O.E., et al., The use of telemedicine to enhance secondary care: some lessons from the front line. Future healthcare journal, 2017. 4(2): p. 109-114.
24. Vaghef-Davari, F., et al., Approach to Acute Abdominal Pain: Practical Algorithms. Advanced journal of emergency medicine, 2019. 4(2): p. e29-e29.
25. Staicu, M.L., et al., The use of telemedicine for penicillin allergy skin testing. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 2018. 6(6): p. 2033-2040.
26. Eron, L., et al., Treating acute infections by telemedicine in the home. Clinical infectious diseases, 2004. 39(8): p. 1175-1181.
27. Coombes, C.E. and M.E. Gregory, The current and future use of telemedicine in infectious diseases practice. Current infectious disease reports, 2019. 21(11): p. 1-10.