Agreement and reliability of remote assessment of actinic keratosis: a proof-of-concept study using smartphone photographs

Despite a rapidly growing interest in use of teledermatology, validation of conventional in-clinic scoring systems for remote assessment of actinic keratosis (AK) fails to keep pace. In this paper, we describe the level of agreement between in-clinic and remote assessments of AK using two different conventional scoring systems. The results of our proof-of-concept study encourage the use of patient-obtained smartphone photographs for standardized remote assessment but highlight the need for adjustments to the currently available scoring systems to improve their reliability. The results of this study may pave the road for the implementation of remote assessments of AK in a clinical management plan.

Automated summary

Despite the increasing interest in telemedicine for dermatology, there is a lack of validation for conventional scoring systems in remote assessment of actinic keratosis (AK). This study examines the agreement between in-clinic and remote assessments of AK using different scoring systems. The results suggest the use of patient-obtained smartphone photographs for standardized remote assessment, but highlight the need for improvements to the existing scoring systems to enhance reliability. These findings may facilitate the implementation of remote assessments of AK in clinical management plans.