Wang Jordan V, Chapman Lance W, Keller Matthew
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dermatol Online J. 2017 Feb 15;23(2):13030/qt4c37w7g2.
This commentary addresses the emerging market forhealth-related smartphone applications. Specific todermatology, there has been a significant increasenot only in applications that promote skin cancerawareness and education but also in those meantfor detection. With evidence showing that 365dermatology-related applications were available in2014--up from 230 in 2012--and that 1 in 5 patientsunder the age of 50 have used a smartphone tohelp diagnose a skin problem, there is clearly a largesubset of patients participating in this growing trend.Therefore, we are obligated to take a closer lookinto this phenomenon. Studies have shown thatapplications are inferior to in-person consultationswith one study showing that 3 out of 4 applicationsincorrectly classified 30% or more melanomas aslow-risk lesions. Although the FDA gained regulatoryoversight over mobile health applications in 2012and recently released their statement in 2015, theirreach only extends to cover a selected portion ofthese applications, leaving many unregulated asthey continue to be marketed toward our patients.Dermatologists should be updated on our currentsituation in order to properly counsel patients on therisks and benefits of these applications and whetherthey are acceptable for use.
本评论探讨了与健康相关的智能手机应用这一新兴市场。就皮肤科而言，不仅促进皮肤癌意识和教育的应用显著增加，用于检测的应用也大量涌现。有证据表明，2014年有365款与皮肤科相关的应用，高于2012年的230款，而且50岁以下的患者中有五分之一曾使用智能手机帮助诊断皮肤问题，显然有很大一部分患者参与了这一增长趋势。因此，我们有必要更深入地研究这一现象。研究表明，应用程序不如面对面咨询，一项研究显示，四分之三的应用程序将30%或更多的黑色素瘤错误分类为低风险病变。尽管美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）在2012年对移动健康应用获得了监管权，并于2015年发布了声明，但其监管范围仅涵盖这些应用中的一部分，许多应用仍未受到监管，却继续向我们的患者推销。皮肤科医生应了解我们的当前情况，以便就这些应用的风险和益处以及是否适合使用向患者提供适当的建议。
