Development of a mobile teledermatology system.
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Date
2012-11-08
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The increasing number of elderly and chronically ill patients is currently stressing healthcare systems One of the solutions for reaching an economically and socially viable solution is exploiting the benefits of modern technologies This article presents an innovative mobile teledermatology program for assisting both the therapy and the aftercare of patients suffering from skin diseases SUBJECTS AND METHODS The system is based on store and forward teledermatology and consists of two main components 1 an application implemented on the mobile phone in order to enable patients to transmit both skin image data and biofeedback information and 2 an online portal for the care providers The key idea is to ensure a sufficient involvement of the patients in the therapy process and to motivate them through their active cooperation RESULTS Smartphone applications with features as well as the online Web based portal for medical care providers are presented The entire system is embedded on a secure telematics platform The system was tested at the Clinic for Skin Diseases of the University of Greifswald Greifswald Germany by patients with skin diseases such as ulcus cruris postoperative wound documentation eczema psoriasis and pemphigus for a period of 1 year Medical care providers could also analyze patients data from the developed online Web based application during that test period CONCLUSIONS Positive feedback from both medical care providers and patients confirms a high potential for mobile teledermatology as a means of dermatological healthcare delivery
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Keywords
At risk for a particular disease or infection, Facility-based health worker, Client, Access to information or data, Quality of care, Demand for services, Acceptability, Planning and coordination, Pilot, Usability, Health education or promotion, Provider training and education, Disease diagnosis / Point-of-care diagnostics, Disease management, Data collection and reporting, Surveillance, Internet, Image, Installed application