Chinese Journal of Dermatology ›› 2024, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (9): 797-800.doi: 10.35541/cjd.20240150

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Application of a wearable teleconsultation device in diagnosis of common skin diseases

Zeng Yue1, Shao Huihong2, Lin Shiwen3, Wen Rou3, Zou Xianbiao1   

  1. 1Department of Dermatology, STD and Aesthetic Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, China; 2Department of Dermatology, the Fifth People's Hospital of Longgang District, Shenzhen 518061, China; 3School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
  • Received:2024-03-21 Revised:2024-06-27 Online:2024-09-15 Published:2024-09-04
  • Contact: Zou Xianbiao E-mail:xbzou@126.com

Abstract: 【Abstract】 Objective To preliminarily verify the feasibility of applying a wearable teleconsultation device in the diagnosis of common skin diseases. Methods Totally, 600 outpatients with skin diseases were prospectively enrolled from the Department of Dermatology from November 1 to December 31 2023, and both on-site and remote diagnoses were performed. In the face-to-face clinic, there was one resident physician A and one chief physician B, while there was one resident physician C and one chief physician D in the remote consultation clinic. Using the diagnostic results of physician B in the face-to-face clinic as a reference, diagnostic agreement rates of physicians A, C, and D were calculated separately. Additionally, diagnostic results were compared between physician A and physician C, as well as between physician A and physician D. Statistical analysis was carried out using McNemar's test and Kappa consistency analysis. Results Among the 600 patients with skin diseases, there were 285 males (47.50%) and 315 females (52.50%), and their age was 38.75 ± 21.12 years. The most common skin diseases were dermatitis and eczema (138 cases, 23.00%), followed by viral skin diseases (79 cases, 13.17%), urticaria (53 cases, 8.83%), hair diseases (53 cases, 8.83%), skin tumors (46 cases, 7.67%), fungal skin diseases (38 cases, 6.33%), etc. Compared with the physician B, the physician A made consistent diagnoses in 477 cases (79.5%) and inconsistent diagnoses in 123 cases (20.5%), the physician C made consistent diagnoses in 465 cases (77.5%) and inconsistent diagnoses in 135 cases (22.5%), and the physician D made consistent diagnoses in 568 cases (94.6%) and inconsistent diagnoses in 32 cases (5.33%). There was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy between the physician A and physician C (P = 0.430), with a Kappa value of 0.852, indicating very strong consistency. The diagnostic accuracy of the physician D was significantly higher than that of the physician A (P = 0.001), with a Kappa value of 0.274, indicating weak consistency. Conclusion Chief dermatologists can provide medical guidance to resident physicians through a wearable teleconsultation system.

Key words: Telemedicine, Skin diseases, Diagnosis, Consistency rate, Wearable equipment