Aim: The Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) dermatology department provides public dermatology care and telehealth advice across the Northern Territory (NT). A large proportion of the NT population lives remotely and identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, with a high burden of skin disease affecting these communities. Store-and-forward teledermatology services are essential for efficient, cost-effective care and assist in improving access to specialist dermatology care. This audit aims to examine the trends of NT dermatology consults over 12months.
Method: A retrospective audit was conducted to identify all consults received by the RDH dermatology service between February 2025 and January 2026. Data collected included patient demographics, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status, referral source (local vs remote), category of primary diagnosis, diagnostic judgement, and referral outcome. Summary statistical analysis was performed. Result: Preliminary data demonstrates a total of 550 consults received over the audit period, with 55% females, 45% male, and 41% were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. One-third of consults originated from remote NT regions. Dermatological consults were primarily sought for inflammatory conditions (34.5%), infective (23.8%), autoimmune (7.6%), scabies (6%), drug reaction (4.7%), cancer (3.3%), other (12.5%)and unknown (7.5%). There was a high reliance on clinical photography as the sole source of information for diagnostic judgement (n = 244). Hospital admission occurred in five remote and29 local consults. Most consults either required no additional follow- up (n =287) or were referred to the dermatology outpatient clinic (n = 238).
Conclusion: This audit highlights unique challenges for public dermatology care in the remote setting of the NT. This audit also reflects the disproportionate skin health burden of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the NT. This audit will inform strategies to improve education, health promotion, and access to specialist advice in remote settings, overall working to improve skin health in the NT.