What is Virtual Allergy?
What is Virtual Allergy?
Virtual Allergy, Digital Allergy or Tele-Allergy, is a rapidly emerging form of Allergy care where patients connect with Allergist over technological platforms for diagnosis and management of certain skin conditions.
Allergy is uniquely suitable for virtual care since much of the history, symptom tracking, and treatment planning can be effectively conducted remotely, and many concerns resolve entirely with prescription medication. If, during your first Video Appointment with the Allergist, it's determined that you require skin-testing, a subsequent in-person appointment will be arranged.
DermCafé leverages our era's technological advances to provide you with accessible, modern and quality care.
As effective as
in-person care
Allergy is a history-driven specialty. Diagnosing allergic conditions relies primarily on patient history, symptom patterns, and environmental exposures—not physical exams or procedures. This makes allergy care especially well-suited to virtual visits.
In fact, studies show that a majority of allergic conditions—such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema, and food allergies—can be safely and accurately managed via telemedicine, particularly for follow-up care and non-emergency consults.¹
Moreover, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction from virtual allergy care are comparable to in-person care, with the added benefit of improved access—especially in regions where wait times for allergists can exceed several months.²
DermCafé’s virtual allergy service connects patients with licensed Canadian allergists for no-fee visits, within 1 week!
¹ Portnoy, J. M., et al. Telemedicine in Allergy and Immunology: A 2020 Practice Parameter Update. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(5):1484–1498.² Bashir, M. H., et al. Telemedicine in Allergy/Immunology: A Systematic Review. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;127(5):543–550.³ American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI): Endorses telehealth for chronic allergy management and follow-ups.⁴ Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI): Supports virtual care expansion to improve allergy access across Canada.
The majority of Canadian cities have no Allergist, while cities with at least one Allergist have wait times ranging from 3 months to over 1 year¹
DermCafé bring allergy care to those who cannot easily access it, whether you live in a town without an Allergist, or your work/school day conflicts with traditional clinic hours.
Virtual allergy has already been the norm outside Canada
Virtual allergy is a logical, cost-effective, modern and efficacious solution for allergy care, particularly in underserved areas.
Even before COVID-19, tele-allergy programs were being piloted and studied across the United States and globally, with strong evidence supporting their safety, patient satisfaction, and diagnostic accuracy—particularly for conditions like allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema, and food allergies.
DermCafé is proud to expand its virtual platform to offer no-fee virtual allergy consultations, providing Canadians with timely access to licensed allergists—often in under one week, with no referral needed.
-
Portnoy JM et al. Telemedicine in Allergy and Immunology: A 2020 Practice Parameter Update. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(5):1484–1498.
-
Bashir MH et al. Telemedicine in Allergy/Immunology: A Systematic Review. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;127(5):543–550.
-
Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI): Endorses virtual care expansion for allergic disease where appropriate.
-
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI): Recommends telehealth for follow-ups and chronic allergy management.
Timely Access
When to opt for Virtual Care vs In-Person Care?
What happens if I need in-person care after seeing a Virtual Allergist at DermCafé?
-
As mentioned above, most allergy concerns can be safely managed virtually.
-
Should in-person care be required (e.g. allergy testing, patch testing or allergy shots), your Allergist will inform you of the next steps and guide you on where to receive care.
Have more questions?
Read our FAQ page
DermCafé CAN safely provide virtual care for:
-
Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
-
Food allergies
-
Mild asthma or exercise-induced symptoms
-
Skin rashes (e.g. hives, eczema, contact dermatitis)
-
Medication allergies
-
Insect sting allergies
-
Some of these will require in-person assessments for skin tests. If that is deemed necessary during your Virtual Appointment, an in-person appointment will be arranged