Update on mobile applications in dermatology
Abstract
Background: As the use of mobile devices surpasses that of personal computers, medical applications increasingly provide easy access to a diverse range of health care resources.
Purpose: To analyze changes in the number of dermatologic mobile applications since 2012.
Methods: We examined five mobile platforms (Apple, Android, Windows, Nokia, and Blackberry) for dermatology-related diagnoses applications. The apps were categorized by purpose, cost, and target audience.
Results: A total of 365 dermatologic mobile applications were analyzed with 225 new mobile applications found since 2012. Since the last query, there was a decrease in market share of reference materials (26.6% in 2012 to 15.9% in 2014) and self-surveillance/diagnosis applications (17.9% in 2012 to 12.9% in 2014) while teledermatology apps increased from 3.5% of total apps in 2012 to 9% in 2014.
Conclusions: Dermatology apps continue to proliferate with minimal regulation. As technology continues to advance and physicians have greater access to mobile- health information, novel advancements in diagnosis may lead to more time-and-location-flexible patient care.