It isn’t news: the functionality of smartphones has transcended the spaces set aside for communication and fun. The use of apps for telephones and tablets has become common in several aspects of daily life, such as, for example, monitoring one’s menstrual cycles and attending medical appointments. But what happens when the applications start to cause concern in the medical field? Are they reliable enough to diagnose diseases? A study by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh (U.S.A.) shows otherwise.
It might be that they’re cheaper than a medical appointment (the majority of health apps are available free or sold at a low cost), however, they aren’t ready to replace medical checkups. And this causes confusion.
Today, many users are making the mistake of replacing trained professional diagnosis with applications that promise “telediagnosis” and fail. Yes, they fail.
There are simple applications on the market that claim to be able to “check” moles. The user just has to take a photograph and wait for the result from the computer system, which analyzes the image of the moles – according to appearance, shape, size and color – and classifies them as benign or suspicious using an algorithm. But they fail.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh (U.S.A.) analyzed 188 real images – 60 of patients with melanomas and 128 of healthy patients – with four different Dermatology applications.
The results speak for themselves: three of every four apps make mistakes and incorrectly diagnose over 30% of melanomas; i.e. they call symptoms of skin cancer benign.
The error lies in the fact that few applications are backed up by a panel of accredited dermatologists. In fact, given that there are no applicable legal regulations, it is difficult for healthcare authorities to monitor them.
In the magazine JAMA Dermatology, the authors recognize the potential of these applications to increase awareness among patients; however, they also warn that using Dermatology apps to replace a visit to a specialist dermatologist may delay correct diagnosis and place the life of skin cancer patients at risk.
Source: JAMA Dermatology
