Snapskin Info-teledermatology application

Abstract

The vast advancements in telecommunications and converting medical information to a digital format have increased the number of applications within telemedicine. In Uganda, there has been increasing numbers of patients with skin diseases and yet there is a limited number of dermatologists. One of the solutions for reaching an economically and socially viable solution to this challenge is exploiting the benefits of modern technologies. This report presents a solution to the challenge of limited dermatologists which is a mobile teledermatology application, the Snapskin Info-teledermatology Application that facilitates the consultation, the aftercare of patients and providing information about skin health to patients suffering from skin diseases. The application is based on store-and-forward teledermatology and consists of two main components: an application implemented on the mobile phone with two views: (1) For patients to transmit both skin image data and biofeedback information, (2) For dermatologists to work on the patients. A mobile application that allows sharing of photos showing different skin conditions by patients to dermatologists was developed. Through this the Dermatologist can give diagnosis and suggest the recommended prescriptions. This application was tested by Group 34 members to ensure that all features work efficiently. In conclusion therefore, the geographical and socioeconomic barriers preventing some patients from receiving dermatologic care and information have been minimized using teledermatology applications and systems and through addressing such obstacles improves the quality of healthcare services.