Patient Perceptions of Dermatologic Photography: Scoping Review
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Background: Medical photography is used extensively in dermatology to record disease progression, measure treatment response, and help teach patients about skin disease; such photos are also commonly utilized in teledermatology, medical education, research, and medical reference websites. Understanding patient perceptions of medical photographs obtained during dermatologic care in the clinic or hospital setting is critical to enable the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered medical care. Objective: The aims of this study were to elucidate patient perceptions of skin photos in dermatology and to explore possible next steps in improving the patient experience with medical photography in the hospital or clinic setting. Methods: A scoping review of the literature was performed using the PubMed database, with clinic- or hospital-based full-text publications in English spanning the last 10 years considered for inclusion. Results: The majority of included studies (10/11, 91%) found positive patient attitudes toward medical photographs. The majority of patients (1197/1511, 79.2%) felt that medical photographs could improve medical care in the clinic setting. Written consent detailing all photo uses, including secondary uses (such as research or teaching), was preferred, apart from in 1 study. Patients preferred or found it acceptable for the photographer of their medical photos to be a physician (1301/1444, 90.1%). Clinic-owned cameras with departmental record storage were the preferred modality. Latinx and African American patients expressed less trust in the utility of medical photographs to improve care, compared with Asian and White patients. The minimal number of available publications on this topic and the inclusion of articles older than 5 years are limitations, since patient perceptions of medical photography may have rapidly changed during this time span, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase in teledermatology visits. Conclusions: Patients reported positive perceptions of dermatologic photography for improving their medical care. Ethnic disparities in patient perceptions require further exploration to better elucidate nuances and develop interventions to improve the experience of marginalized patients. Building patient trust in nonphysician photographers may enhance clinic efficiency. Although clinic-owned cameras are well-accepted by patients, improved patient education surrounding the safety of electronic medical record phone applications is needed.
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Patients prefer giving verbal consent and their photographs being taken by clinic- or hospital-owned cameras.
“In general, patients prefer giving verbal consent and their photographs being taken by clinic- or hospital-owned cameras [51].”
From Store-and-Forward Images in Teledermatology: Narrative Literature Review (2022) · cites this paper as [51]
The Discussion’s Conclusions state that written consent was preferred overall; only one recent US study found a slight preference for verbal consent. The same section supports the camera portion, reporting a preference for clinic-owned cameras, but it contradicts the claim’s generalization about verbal consent. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA scoping review by Kim and Sivesind demonstrated that patients adopt positive attitudes toward medical photography.
“A scoping review by Kim and Sivesind [7] had also demonstrated that patients adopt positive attitudes toward medical photography.”
From A Glance at the Practice of Pediatric Teledermatology Pre- and Post–COVID-19: Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
Most patients expressed that medical care could be improved in the clinical setting with photography.
“Most patients had expressed that medical care could be improved in the clinical setting with photography [7].”
From A Glance at the Practice of Pediatric Teledermatology Pre- and Post–COVID-19: Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
Kim and Sivesind revealed that patients of Latin and African American descent had expressed less trust in the utility of medical photography to improve patient care, compared to patients who were Asian and White.
“Kim and Sivesind [7], in a scoping review, revealed that patients of Latin and African American descent had expressed less trust in the utility of medical photography to improve patient care, compared to patients who were Asian and White.”
From A Glance at the Practice of Pediatric Teledermatology Pre- and Post–COVID-19: Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
There are disparities in trust toward dermatologists providing teledermatology among patients of different racial groups.
“There are also disparities in trust toward dermatologists providing teledermatology among patients of different racial groups.”
From A Glance at the Practice of Pediatric Teledermatology Pre- and Post–COVID-19: Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
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Cites
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Store-and-Forward Images in Teledermatology: Narrative Literature Review
Jiang, S. W., Flynn, M. S., Kwock, J. T., & Nicholas, M. W. (2022) · JMIR Dermatology · doi:10.2196/37517 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“In general, patients prefer giving verbal consent and their photographs being taken by clinic- or hospital-owned cameras [51].”
BackgroundA Glance at the Practice of Pediatric Teledermatology Pre- and Post–COVID-19: Narrative Review
Long, V., & Chandran, N. S. (2022) · JMIR Dermatology · doi:10.2196/34228 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kim, W., & Sivesind, T.
- Affiliations
- University of Colorado Anschutz (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, William
- Venue
- JMIR Dermatology
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2022-01-26
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- e33361
- ISSN
- 2562-0959 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10334897
- OpenAlex
- W4210798336
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 10 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 2.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- JMIR Dermatology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Digital Imaging in Medicine
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Electronic Health Records Systems
- Keywords
- dermatologic photography, patient perspectives, medical photography, patient trust, informed consent, ethnic disparities, teledermatology, patient-centered care, patient education
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