Mobile apps that track skin lesions may help patients be more mindful about their health care and improve communication with doctors, says dermatologist Laura Ferris, "but it?s important that users don?t allow their apps to take the place of medical advice and physician diagnosis." (Credit: Paul Jacobson/Flickr)
U. PITTSBURGH (US) ? Smartphone apps that claim to monitor skin lesions for the likelihood of cancer often return inaccurate information and could delay timely, life-saving treatment, a new study shows.
?Smartphone usage is rapidly increasing, and the applications available to consumers have moved beyond communication and entertainment to everything under the sun, including health care,? says lead researcher Laura Ferris, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
?These tools may help patients be more mindful about their health care and improve communication between themselves and their physicians, but it?s important that users don?t allow their apps to take the place of medical advice and physician diagnosis.?
Published in JAMA Dermatology, the study found that three out of the four smartphone applications tested incorrectly diagnosed 30 percent or more melanomas as ?unconcerning? based on their evaluation of user images.
A review of applications available in the two most popular smartphone platforms found that such tools often are marketed to nonclinical users to help them decide, using a digital image for analysis, whether or not their skin lesions are potential melanomas or otherwise concerning, or if they likely are benign.
Researchers uploaded 188 images of skin lesions to each of the four applications, which then analyzed the images in different ways, including automated algorithms and images reviewed by an anonymous board-certified dermatologist.
The applications often are available for free or at a very low cost, and are not subject to any regulatory oversight or validation.
Only the application that utilized dermatologists for a personal review of user images, essentially functioning as a tool to facilitate teledermatology, provided a high degree of sensitivity in diagnosis?just one of the 53 melanomas was diagnosed as ?benign? by the experts reading the images.This application also was the most expensive, costing users $5 per image evaluation.
Although the tools included disclaimers stating they were providing information for educational purposes only, researchers note the risk that patients might rely on the application?s evaluation rather than seek the advice of a medical professional.
The likelihood of relying on the application?s free or low-cost evaluation is particularly concerning for the uninsured or economically disadvantaged, especially because a substantial number of melanomas are first detected by patients, note the study authors.
?If they see a concerning lesion but the smartphone app incorrectly judges it to be benign, they may not follow up with a physician,? Ferris says. ?Technologies that decrease the mortality rate by improving self- and early-detection of melanomas would be a welcome addition to dermatology. But we have to make sure patients aren?t being harmed by tools that deliver inaccurate results.?
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Source: University of Pittsburgh
Source: http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/smartphone-apps-miss-skin-cancers/
superbowl halftime show jason wu for target underwood buffalo wings superbowl kick off time 2012 new york giants hot wings recipe
No comments:
Post a Comment