Patients' Perspectives and Preferences About Medical Photography in Dermatology: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

ABS TRACT Objective:With the increasing use of digital medical photography in the practice and delivery of dermatologic care, concerns regarding patient privacy and ethical-legal aspects have been raised. This study aims to assess the acceptance and perception of medical photography among Turkish patients attending dermatology clinics. Material and Methods: An opinion survey was conducted in two tertiary referral hospitals in İstanbul among adult patients visiting dermatology clinics by completion of a 13-question survey from. Results: A total of 357 patients completed the questionnaire, of whom a dermatologist had recently photographed 42.3%. Patients preferred to be photographed with a hospital-owned camera (69.5%) compared to the practitioner's personal camera (36.1%) or mobile phone (29.1%) (p<0.001). They favored hospital digital records (70%) over the practitioner's own computer (30.5%) or the practitioner's own mobile phone (19.9%) for the storage of the images (p<0.001). Patients accepted being photographed by their attending physician more than other healthcare workers (p<0.001). Non-identifiable photos were more acceptable than identifiable ones for all purposes of use of photographs, with the highest rate of acceptance for medical consultation (75.9%) and the lowest rate for medical websites (10.4%). Almost all respondents (97.2%) felt informed consent is necessary before medical photography. Nearly one-third of the respondents shared concern about the misuse or unauthorized access of their medical photographs. Conclusion: Our study revealed that patients have a relatively positive attitude toward medical photography, although they seem to have clear preferences regarding several practical aspects. These findings could be used to improve dermatological practice and to create policy guidelines about medical photography.