Article Text
Abstract
Background Mobile health has promising potential in improving healthcare delivery by facilitating access to expert advice. Enabling experts to review images on their smartphone or tablet may save valuable time. This study aims at assessing whether images viewed by medical specialists on handheld devices such as smartphones and tablets are perceived to be of comparable quality as when viewed on a computer screen.
Methods This was a prospective study comparing the perceived quality of 18 images on three different display devices (smartphone, tablet and computer) by 27 participants (4 burn surgeons and 23 emergency medicine specialists). The images, presented in random order, covered clinical (dermatological conditions, burns, ECGs and X-rays) and non-clinical subjects and their perceived quality was assessed using a 7-point Likert scale. Differences in devices' quality ratings were analysed using linear regression models for clustered data adjusting for image type and participants’ characteristics (age, gender and medical specialty).
Results Overall, the images were rated good or very good in most instances and more so for the smartphone (83.1%, mean score 5.7) and tablet (78.2%, mean 5.5) than for a standard computer (70.6%, mean 5.2). Both handheld devices had significantly higher ratings than the computer screen, even after controlling for image type and participants' characteristics. Nearly all experts expressed that they would be comfortable using smartphones (n=25) or tablets (n=26) for image-based teleconsultation.
Conclusion This study suggests that handheld devices could be a substitute for computer screens for teleconsultation by physicians working in emergency settings.
- imaging
- equipment evaluation
- quality assurance
- burns
- diagnosis
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Supplementary materials
Abstract in Swedish
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Footnotes
Contributors LL, CB and LW determined the research question. LL and CB elaborated the study design. CB, LB and LW took responsibility for the data collection. CB performed the data analysis. All authors took part in the interpretation of the results and made significant contribution to the manuscript.
Funding This study was funded by the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation under the grant number MMW 2011.0138.
Competing interests None declared.
Ethics approval Human Ethics Research Committee at the Stellenbosch University.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.