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Background Medical photography plays a pivotal role in modern health care, serving multiple purposes ranging from patient care to medical documentation and education. Specifically, it aids in wound management, surgical planning, and medical training. While digital cameras have traditionally been used, smartphones equipped with specialized apps present an intriguing alternative. Smartphones offer several advantages, including increased usability and efficiency and the capability to uphold medicolegal standards more effectively and consistently. Objective This study aims to assess whether implementing a specialized smartphone app could lead to more frequent and efficient use of medical photography. Methods We carried out this study as a comprehensive single-center panel investigation at a level 1 trauma center, encompassing various settings including the emergency department, operating theaters, and surgical wards, over a 6-month period from June to November 2020. Using weekly questionnaires, health care providers were asked about their experiences and preferences with using both digital cameras and smartphones equipped with a specialized medical photography app. Parameters such as the frequency of use, time taken for image upload, and general usability were assessed. Results A total of 65 questionnaires were assessed for digital camera use and 68 for smartphone use. Usage increased significantly by 5.4 (SD 1.9) times per week (95% CI 1.7-9.2; P=.005) when the smartphone was used. The time it took to upload pictures to the clinical picture and archiving system was significantly shorter for the app (mean 1.8, SD 1.2 min) than for the camera (mean 14.9, SD 24.0 h; P<.001). Smartphone usage also outperformed the digital camera in terms of technical failure (4.4% vs 9.7%; P=.04) and for the technical process of archiving (P<.001) pictures to the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and display images (P<.001) from it. No difference was found in regard to the photographer’s intent (P=.31) or reasoning (P=.94) behind the pictures. Additionally, the study highlighted that potential concerns regarding data security and patient confidentiality were also better addressed through the smartphone app, given its encryption capabilities and password protection. Conclusions Specialized smartphone apps provide a secure, rapid, and user-friendly platform for medical photography, showing significant advantages over traditional digital cameras. This study supports the notion that these apps not only have the potential to improve patient care, particularly in the realm of wound management, but also offer substantial medicolegal and economic benefits. Future research should focus on additional aspects such as patient comfort and preference, image resolution, and the quality of photographs, as well as seek to corroborate these findings through a larger sample size.
Background Medical photography plays a pivotal role in modern health care, serving multiple purposes ranging from patient care to medical documentation and education. Specifically, it aids in wound management, surgical planning, and medical training. While digital cameras have traditionally been used, smartphones equipped with specialized apps present an intriguing alternative. Smartphones offer several advantages, including increased usability and efficiency and the capability to uphold medicolegal standards more effectively and consistently. Objective This study aims to assess whether implementing a specialized smartphone app could lead to more frequent and efficient use of medical photography. Methods We carried out this study as a comprehensive single-center panel investigation at a level 1 trauma center, encompassing various settings including the emergency department, operating theaters, and surgical wards, over a 6-month period from June to November 2020. Using weekly questionnaires, health care providers were asked about their experiences and preferences with using both digital cameras and smartphones equipped with a specialized medical photography app. Parameters such as the frequency of use, time taken for image upload, and general usability were assessed. Results A total of 65 questionnaires were assessed for digital camera use and 68 for smartphone use. Usage increased significantly by 5.4 (SD 1.9) times per week (95% CI 1.7-9.2; P=.005) when the smartphone was used. The time it took to upload pictures to the clinical picture and archiving system was significantly shorter for the app (mean 1.8, SD 1.2 min) than for the camera (mean 14.9, SD 24.0 h; P<.001). Smartphone usage also outperformed the digital camera in terms of technical failure (4.4% vs 9.7%; P=.04) and for the technical process of archiving (P<.001) pictures to the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and display images (P<.001) from it. No difference was found in regard to the photographer’s intent (P=.31) or reasoning (P=.94) behind the pictures. Additionally, the study highlighted that potential concerns regarding data security and patient confidentiality were also better addressed through the smartphone app, given its encryption capabilities and password protection. Conclusions Specialized smartphone apps provide a secure, rapid, and user-friendly platform for medical photography, showing significant advantages over traditional digital cameras. This study supports the notion that these apps not only have the potential to improve patient care, particularly in the realm of wound management, but also offer substantial medicolegal and economic benefits. Future research should focus on additional aspects such as patient comfort and preference, image resolution, and the quality of photographs, as well as seek to corroborate these findings through a larger sample size.
No abstract
BACKGROUND Medical case reports published in academic journals often contain images, including patient photographs. Photographs from published case reports have previously been found in online image search results such as Google Image Search. This means that patient photographs circulate beyond the original journal website and can be freely accessed online. While this raises ethical and legal concerns, no systematic study has documented how often this occurs. OBJECTIVE The aim of this cross-sectional study was to provide systematic evidence that patient photographs from case reports published in medical journals appear in Google Image Search results. METHODS A structured search of PubMed was conducted to identify all indexed medical case reports published within a one-year period between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018. The search produced 23,589 results. Based on the original study, it was anticipated that approximately 37% of the case reports with photographs would include at least one image found online. Using a confidence level (CI) of 95% and a 4% margin of error, a sample size of 585 was required. The main outcome measure was whether at least one photograph from each case report was found on Google Images, when using a structured search. Chi-square tests, simple logistic regressions, and generalized estimating equations were conducted. RESULTS From a random sample of 585 case reports indexed in PubMed, 186 contained patient photographs, for a total of 598 distinct images. Results demonstrated that at least one photograph from 76.3% of the case reports (142/186) was found on Google Images. At least one photograph from 76.3% of the case reports (142/186) was found on Google Images. 18.3% of photographs included eye, face, and/or full body photographs, including 10.9% that could potentially identify the patient. The odds of finding an image from the case report online were higher if the full-text article was available on ResearchGate (OR 9.16, 95% CI 2.71 to 31.02), PubMed Central (OR 7.90, 95% CI 2.33 to 26.77), or Google Scholar (OR 6.07, 95% CI 2.77 to 13.29) than if full-text was available solely through an open access journal (OR 5.33, 95% CI 2.31 to 12.28), but all factors contributed to an increased risk of locating patient images online. CONCLUSIONS A high proportion of medical photographs from case reports was found on Google Images, raising ethical concerns with policy and practice implications. Journal publishers and corporations such as Google are best positioned to develop an effective remedy. Until then, it is crucial that patients are adequately informed about the potential risks and benefits of providing consent for clinicians to publish their images in medical journals.
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