Digital App Successfully Detects Skin Cancers
Source: Dermatology Times, August 2023
Study finds that use of mHealth app could be useful in early detection of skin cancer but cautions that overdiagnosis is a possibility.
As the use of artificial intelligence expands across the medical spectrum, researchers sought to determine the effect of a mobile phone app (mHealth) for identifying suspicious skin lesions on healthcare systems. Study authors found that use of an mHealth app for early detection of skin cancers was followed by an increase in the number of claims for premalignancies when matched with a control group.
In 2019, more than 2.2 million customers of a large Dutch insurance company were invited to use the mHealth (SkinVision) app free of charge. All insureds >18 who completed at least 1 app-based skin assessment of a suspicious lesion were included in the study. App users were matched to controls on a 1 to 3 ratio. Study authors were primarily interested in the frequency and type of dermatological claims between app users and controls.