On Using a Mobile Application to Support Teledermatology: A Case Study in an Underprivileged Area in Colombia.

IF 3.1 Q2 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES
International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications Pub Date : 2018-03-26 eCollection Date: 2018-01-01 DOI:10.1155/2018/1496941
Juan Pablo Sáenz, Mónica Paola Novoa, Darío Correal, Bell Raj Eapen
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引用次数: 5

Abstract

Background: The use of mobile applications in dermatology to support remote diagnosis is gaining acceptance, particularly in rural areas, where dermatology services are commonly managed by healthcare personnel with no specialty training. Moreover, ontologies-sets of concepts that represent knowledge in a given domain-are increasingly being used to support medical diagnosis. A specific case is ONTODerm: an ontology to aid dermatological diagnosis. However, there is little information on the combined use of mobile applications and ontologies as support solutions in dermatology.

Objective: Assessing the reliability of ONTODerm as a tool to support remote dermatological diagnosis when used together with a mobile dermatological application in underprivileged areas.

Methods: A mobile application that allows characterization of skin lesions was developed, and the information about the lesions was sent to ONTODerm. An exploratory study was conducted in a remote area without access to a dermatologist. A total of 64 dermatological queries were recorded in the application and consulted with ONTODerm. Later, an experienced dermatologist evaluated the characterization and diagnosis of each query to determine the accuracy of the system.

Results: The results showed that the probability of obtaining a correct diagnosis was between 64.4% and 85.6% with a confidence interval of 95%. A higher accuracy rate was obtained when the skin lesion occurred on the face or when its border was categorized as poorly demarcated.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the implementation of a teledermatology strategy based on mobile applications and domain ontology-driven knowledge base to provide timely assistance to healthcare professionals. This approach was found to be pertinent in the Colombian rural context, particularly in forest regions, where dermatology specialists are not available. The results of this article do not represent a final validation of the proposed approach; they suggest how the ontology can be improved to effectively support medical staff in marginalized regions.

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关于使用移动应用程序支持远程皮肤科:哥伦比亚贫困地区的案例研究。
背景:在皮肤病学中使用移动应用程序来支持远程诊断正在获得认可,特别是在农村地区,那里的皮肤病学服务通常由没有经过专业培训的卫生保健人员管理。此外,本体(表示给定领域知识的概念集)越来越多地被用于支持医学诊断。一个具体的例子是ONTODerm:一个帮助皮肤科诊断的本体论。然而,很少有信息结合使用移动应用程序和本体作为支持解决方案在皮肤科。目的:评估ONTODerm作为支持远程皮肤科诊断的工具,在贫困地区与移动皮肤科应用程序一起使用时的可靠性。方法:开发了一个允许表征皮肤病变的移动应用程序,并将有关病变的信息发送到ONTODerm。一项探索性研究是在一个偏远地区进行的,没有接触到皮肤科医生。在应用程序中记录了总共64个皮肤病学问题,并咨询了ONTODerm。后来,一位经验丰富的皮肤科医生评估了每个查询的特征和诊断,以确定系统的准确性。结果:正确诊断的概率为64.4% ~ 85.6%,置信区间为95%。当皮肤病变发生在面部或其边界被归类为界限不清时,准确率较高。结论:本研究展示了基于移动应用程序和领域本体驱动知识库的远程皮肤病学策略的实施,可以为医疗保健专业人员提供及时的帮助。研究发现,这种方法适用于哥伦比亚农村地区,特别是在没有皮肤科专家的森林地区。本文的结果并不代表建议的方法的最终验证;他们提出了如何改进本体以有效支持边缘地区医务人员的建议。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
6.90
自引率
2.30%
发文量
19
审稿时长
12 weeks
期刊介绍: The overall aim of the International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications is to bring together science and applications of medical practice and medical care at a distance as well as their supporting technologies such as, computing, communications, and networking technologies with emphasis on telemedicine techniques and telemedicine applications. It is directed at practicing engineers, academic researchers, as well as doctors, nurses, etc. Telemedicine is an information technology that enables doctors to perform medical consultations, diagnoses, and treatments, as well as medical education, away from patients. For example, doctors can remotely examine patients via remote viewing monitors and sound devices, and/or sampling physiological data using telecommunication. Telemedicine technology is applied to areas of emergency healthcare, videoconsulting, telecardiology, telepathology, teledermatology, teleophthalmology, teleoncology, telepsychiatry, teledentistry, etc. International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications will highlight the continued growth and new challenges in telemedicine, applications, and their supporting technologies, for both application development and basic research. Papers should emphasize original results or case studies relating to the theory and/or applications of telemedicine. Tutorial papers, especially those emphasizing multidisciplinary views of telemedicine, are also welcome. International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications employs a paperless, electronic submission and evaluation system to promote a rapid turnaround in the peer-review process.
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