Teledermatology in Norway using a mobile phone app

Rashes, ulcers and skin lesions are well suited for telemedicine. We have developed a smartphone app, the first of its kind in Norway, where a referring physician can write a short medical history and take clinical and dermatoscopic photographs with a smartphone, which is then sent to and evaluated...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPloS one Vol. 15; no. 4; p. e0232131
Main Authors Rizvi, Syed Mohammad Husain, Schopf, Thomas, Sangha, Amandip, Ulvin, Kim, Gjersvik, Petter
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Norwegian
Published United States Public Library of Science 27.04.2020
PLOS
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects
Cellular telephones
Computer and Information Sciences
Consent
Dermatology
Eczema
Engineering and Technology
Exanthema
Families & family life
Family physicians
Health aspects
Health care
Health services
Lesions
Medical diagnosis
Medical referrals
Medical research
Medicine and Health Sciences
Nursing care
Nursing homes
Patients
People and Places
Physicians
Primary care
Primary care nursing
Rash
Skin
Skin cancer
Skin diseases
Skin lesions
Smartphones
Telemedicine
Tumors
Ulcers
Wireless telephones
Wound healing
Norway
Belgium
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Rashes, ulcers and skin lesions are well suited for telemedicine. We have developed a smartphone app, the first of its kind in Norway, where a referring physician can write a short medical history and take clinical and dermatoscopic photographs with a smartphone, which is then sent to and evaluated by a dermatologist. In the period from June 1st, 2017, to September 1st, 2019, clinical information and photographs of rash and skin lesions from 171 patients were sent by 40 primary care and nursing home physicians via the smartphone app to four dermatologists for diagnosis and therapeutic advice. A wide range of dermatological conditions were diagnosed, most commonly chronic ulcers (17%), eczema (15%) and pigmented lesions (13%). Assessed later by a dermatologist, referral for regular consultations with a specialist was avoided in 119 patients (70%). Sixteen patients (9%) were recommended a regular consultation with a dermatologist; information for prioritization in the specialist healthcare service was then provided. In 36 patients (21%), further measures by the referring physician were recommended. Our experience indicates that many ordinary consultations on rash, ulcers and skin lesions in the specialist healthcare services can be avoided when using the smartphone app.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
Competing Interests: SMHR, AS and KU founded and are shareholders in Askin AS (www.askin.no) of which TS is a partner. PG has no conflict of interest. The commercial affiliation does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0232131