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Systematic review of mobile phone-based teledermatology

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Abstract

Teledermatology is an expanding field within dermatology that has grown and become more clinically accepted by both patients and doctors. With approximately 260 million mobile phone users in the US and 4–6 billion worldwide with access to mobile phones, teledermatology serves as a potentially useful tool for diagnosis and management (Samkange-Zeeb and Blettner in Emerg Health Threats J, https://doi.org/10.3134/ehtj.09.005, 2009). In this review, we provide a detailed overview of mobile phone technology and the accumulating evidence for its incorporation into dermatology. Key questions addressed include accuracy and concordance between mobile teledermatology and face-to-face dermatology for the diagnosis of skin conditions. Similarly, accuracy and concordance were compared for the management of skin conditions. To track the development of mobile phone technology, we also assessed how data were captured, stored, and displayed in teledermatology studies.

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Funding

The project described was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through grant number UL1 TR001860 and linked award TL1 TR001861. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. AKC received funding through the UC Davis T32 Medical Student Research Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Ashley K. Clark & Suzana Bosanac

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, 3301 C Street, Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA, 95816, USA

    Baran Ho & Raja K. Sivamani

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  1. Ashley K. Clark
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Correspondence to Raja K. Sivamani.

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Clark, A.K., Bosanac, S., Ho, B. et al. Systematic review of mobile phone-based teledermatology. Arch Dermatol Res 310, 675–689 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-018-1862-4

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