Diagnostic Inaccuracy of Smartphone Applications for Melanoma Detection

Abstract

As smartphones use increases, these devices are applied to functions beyond communication and entertainment and often become tools that are involved intimately in many aspects of daily life through the use of specialized applications. Several applications in the field of health care, marketed directly to the public, are readily available. Some examples include applications that are intended to aid users in learning about adverse effects of medications, to track their caloric intake and expenditure to manage weight loss, and to log their menstrual cycles to monitor fertility. Although such applications have the potential to improve patient awareness and physician-patient communication, applications that provide any type of medical advice might result in harm to the patient if that advice is incorrect or misleading.