Takeaway
- For pediatric patients with rash in the emergency department (ED), remote diagnosis based on phone consultation and smartphone photos was nearly always confirmed upon next-day in-person evaluation.
Why this matters
- The practice could improve diagnostic, treatment, and disposition decisions for an often-confusing clinical presentation in the ED.
Key results
- Most frequent diagnoses: chickenpox, skin infections, shingles, insect bite, herpes simplex.
- Initial diagnosis agreed with final diagnosis 96.3% of the time.
Study design
- For 194 children presenting to a high-volume Turkish pediatric ED during the night shift with rash, researchers sent smartphone images of the lesions via instant messaging to the chief consultant in pediatric infectious disease.
- Consultant’s diagnosis based on images and phone consultation was compared with final diagnosis made by another clinician in person the next day.
- Outcome: performance of remote diagnosis based on smartphone images.
- Funding: None.
Limitations
- Up to 12 hours passed between first and second clinical evaluations; lesions could have evolved.
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