Development of a mobile Teledermatology System
Autoren: R-D. Berndt, M. C. Takenga, S. Kuehn, P. Preik, D. Dubbermann, M. Juenger
Accepted for publication in the Journal Telemed J E Health, 2012
Objective: The increasing number of elderly and chronically ill patients is currently stressing the healthcare systems. One of the solutions for reaching an economically and socially viable solution is exploiting the benefits of modern technologies. This paper presents an innovative mobile teledermatology for assisting both the therapy and the aftercare of patients suffering from skin diseases.
Methods: The system is based on the so-called store-and-forward teledermatology and consists of two main components: the first one, an application implemented on the mobile phone in order to enable patients feeding in both skin image data and bio-feedback information, and the second one, 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: The developed smart phone application with its features as well as the developed 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 in Germany by patients with skin diseases such as ulcus cruris, postoperative wound documentation, Eczema, Psoriasis and Pemphigus for a period of one year. Medical care providers could also analyse patients’ data from the developed online web-based application during that test-period.
Conclusion: Positive feedback from both medical care providers and patients confirm a high potential for the mobile teledermatology as means of dermatological healthcare delivery.
More information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23050801
