Teledermatology: influence of zoning and education on a clinician's ability to observe peripheral lesions.
Teledermatology can benefit rural and remote communities, where specialist dermatological services may not be readily available. Regarding store-and- forward teledermatology, we hypothesized that the site of a lesion in an image (zoning) may influence a clinician's ability to observe target lesions, and that education on image viewing may improve use of this technology. We examined this by conducting both pre- and post-education studies. The education on image viewing consisted of a presentation on the outcome of the first study-survey on image viewing. The first study demonstrated that zoning influences a clinician's visual attention and that significant, concurrent lesions in the periphery may be missed. The second study demonstrated that brief education could produce a measurable change in observing peripheral lesions. These findings have medico-legal implications and suggest that further education in the use of such technology is necessary in order to optimize patient care and prevent potential errors.
Chen
Keng
K
The St George Hospital, Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia. kengchen74@hotmail.com
Lim
Adrian
A
Shumack
Stephen
S
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003625:Data Collection; D003880:Dermatology / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007642:Keratosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D010781:Photography; D011336:Probability; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*