Software can assess skin conditions.

• Position: Dermatology - VisualDx

In the first major study to examine the use of a computer-assisted, photo-driven differential diagnosis generator for skin conditions, researchers at the the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, found physicians routinely used the tool, without an Increase In calling for inpatient dermatology consultations.

VisualDx aids in diagnosing dermatologic conditions by allowing doctors to enter information such as the type and location of a rash, and associated symptoms, such as pain or itching, and then generating a range of possible diagnoses accompanied by photographs. This enables users to compare rapidly the rash of an individual patient to a database of more than 1,300 pediatric and adult skin conditions represented by nearly 30,000 images, with the aim of improving diagnostic accuracy reducing misdiagnosis-related harm.

The study found that the rate of dermatologic consultations did not change for the 18 months after VisualDx was introduced compared to the 12 months before it was introduced.

"This is Important because these tools by design suggest numerous potential diagnoses, which could result in an increase In unnecessary testing and specialty consultation, and associated costs and harms, particularly In the hands of less-experienced clinicians," says senior author Craig A...