Background Medical photography is used extensively in dermatology to record disease progression, measure treatment response, and help teach patients about skin disease; such photos are also commonly utilized in teledermatology, medical education, research, and medical reference websites. Understanding patient perceptions of medical photographs obtained during dermatologic care in the clinic or hospital setting is critical to enable the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered medical care. Objective The aims of this study were to elucidate patient perceptions of skin photos in dermatology and to explore possible next steps in improving the patient experience with medical photography in the hospital or clinic setting. Methods A scoping review of the literature was performed using the PubMed database, with clinic- or hospital-based full-text publications in English spanning the last 10 years considered for inclusion. Results The majority of included studies (10/11, 91%) found positive patient attitudes toward medical photographs. The majority of patients (1197/1511, 79.2%) felt that medical photographs could improve medical care in the clinic setting. Written consent detailing all photo uses, including secondary uses (such as research or teaching), was preferred, apart from in 1 study. Patients preferred or found it acceptable for the photographer of their medical photos to be a physician (1301/1444, 90.1%). Clinic-owned cameras with departmental record storage were the preferred modality. Latinx and African American patients expressed less trust in the utility of medical photographs to improve care, compared with Asian and White patients. The minimal number of available publications on this topic and the inclusion of articles older than 5 years are limitations, since patient perceptions of medical photography may have rapidly changed during this time span, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase in teledermatology visits. Conclusions Patients reported positive perceptions of dermatologic photography for improving their medical care. Ethnic disparities in patient perceptions require further exploration to better elucidate nuances and develop interventions to improve the experience of marginalized patients. Building patient trust in nonphysician photographers may enhance clinic efficiency. Although clinic-owned cameras are well-accepted by patients, improved patient education surrounding the safety of electronic medical record phone applications is needed.
Background Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites and may be a go-to source of health and dermatology education for the general population. Prior research indicates poor skin of color (SOC) photo representation in printed dermatology textbooks and online medical websites, but there has been no such assessment performed to determine whether this discrepancy also exists for Wikipedia. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the number and quality of SOC photos included in Wikipedia’s skin disease pages and to explore the possible ramifications of these findings. Methods Photos of skin diseases from Wikipedia’s “List of Skin Conditions” were assigned by three independent raters as SOC or non-SOC according to the Fitzpatrick system, and were given a quality rating (1-3) based on sharpness, size/resolution, and lighting/exposure. Results We identified 421 skin disease Wikipedia pages and 949 images that met our inclusion criteria. Within these pages, 20.7% of images of skin diseases (196 of 949 images) were SOC and 79.3% (753 of 949 images) were non-SOC (P<.001). There was no difference in the average quality for SOC (2.05) and non-SOC (2.03) images (P=.81). However, the photo quality criteria utilized (sharpness, size/resolution, and lighting/exposure) did not capture all aspects of photo quality. Another limitation of this analysis is that the Fitzpatrick skin typing system is prone to subjectivity and was not originally intended to be utilized as a non-self SOC metric. Conclusions There is SOC underrepresentation in the gross number of SOC images for dermatologic conditions on Wikipedia. Wikipedia pages should be updated to include more SOC photos to mend this divide to ameliorate access to accurate dermatology information for the general public and improve health equity within dermatology.
Background Google Trends is a powerful online database and analytics tool of popular Google search queries over time and has the potential to inform medical practice and priorities. Objective This review aimed to survey Google Trends literature in dermatology and elucidate its current roles and relationships with the field. Methods A literature search was performed using PubMed to access and review relevant dermatology-related Google Trends studies published within the last 5 years. Results Current research utilizing Google Trends data provides insight related to skin cancer, pruritus, cosmetic procedures, and COVID-19. We also found that dermatology is presently the highest-searched medical specialty—among 15 medical and surgical specialties as well as general practitioners. Google searches related to dermatology demonstrate a seasonal nature for various skin conditions and sun-related topics, depending on a region’s inherent climate and hemi-sphere. In addition, celebrity social media and other viral posts have been found to potentiate Google searches about dermatology and drive public interest. Conclusions A limited number of relevant studies may have been omitted by the simplified search strategy of this study, as well as by restriction to English language articles and articles indexed in the PubMed database. This could be expanded upon in a secondary systematic review. Future re-search is warranted to better understand how Google Trends can be utilized to improve the quality of clinic visits, drive public health campaigns, and detect disease clusters in real time.
BACKGROUND Google Trends is a powerful online database with the potential to influence medical practice. OBJECTIVE This review aims to elucidate the current relationship between dermatology and Google Trends. METHODS A literature review was performed using the PubMed database to access relevant studies published within the last five years. RESULTS Current research utilizing Google Trends data provides insight related to skin cancer, pruritus, cosmetic procedures, and COVID-19, as well as the finding that dermatology is presently the highest-searched medical specialty. Dermatologic Google searches demonstrate a seasonal nature for various skin conditions and sun-related topics, depending on a country’s inherent climate and hemisphere. In addition, celebrity social media and other viral posts have been found to potentiate dermatologic Google searches and drive public interest. The main limitation of Google Trends searches is internet access, which may exclude certain individuals and socioeconomic groups. CONCLUSIONS Future research is warranted to better understand how this search tool can be utilized to improve the quality of clinic visits, drive public health campaigns, and detect disease clusters in real-time.
BACKGROUND Medical photography is used extensively in dermatology to record disease progression, measure treatment response, and help teach patients about skin disease; such photos are also commonly utilized in teledermatology, medical education, research, and medical reference websites. Understanding patient perceptions of medical photographs obtained during dermatologic care in the clinic- or hospital- setting is critical to enable the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered medical care. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to elucidate patient perceptions of skin photos in dermatology, and to explore possible next steps in improving the patient experience of medical photography in the hospital- or clinic- setting. METHODS A scoping review of the literature was performed using the PubMed database, with clinic- or hospital- based full-text publications in English spanning the last ten years considered for inclusion. RESULTS The majority of included studies (n=10/11, 91%) found positive patient attitudes toward medical photographs. The majority of patients (n=1197/1511, 79.2%) felt that medical photographs could improve medical care in the clinic setting. Written consent detailing all photo uses, including secondary uses (such as research or teaching), was preferred apart from one study. Patients preferred or found it acceptable for the photographer of their medical photos to be a physician (n=1301/1444, 90.1%). Clinic-owned cameras with departmental record storage were the preferred modality. Latinx and African-American patients expressed less trust in the utility of medical photographs to improve care, compared to Asian and White patients. Study limitations include the minimal number of available publications on this topic and the inclusion of articles older than five years are limitations, since patient perceptions of medical photography may have rapidly changed during this time span, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase in teledermatology visits. CONCLUSIONS Patients reported positive perceptions of dermatologic photography for improving their medical care. Ethnic disparities in patient perceptions require further exploration to better elucidate nuances and develop interventions to improve the experience of marginalized patients. Building patient trust in nonphysician photographers may enhance clinic efficiency. While clinic-owned cameras are well-accepted by patients, improved patient education surrounding the safety of EMR phone applications is needed. CLINICALTRIAL
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