Point, click, treat: The rise of the medical selfie
Point, click, treat
The rise of the medical selfie
from The Economist
The right manipulation of light, distance and the angle can make a picture more honest—and therefore more useful for medical purposes
Dip.io uses mobile-phone cameras for urine analysis. The patient takes a picture of dipstick against the background of a colour card
These tests using sticks require colour-matching. Therefore, home analysis is regarded as unreliable
NHS starts to use the app to monitor those suffering from sclerosis. Home-testing will speed up treatment and save NHS around $12m a year
If chronic kidney disease is detected early, by screening the urine of those at risk, sufferers can slow the disease’s progress
For a diagnosis of a skin condition, coloured hexagons act as a reference which the app uses to correct and standardise the resulting image
The app may employ spectroscopy or extend its range into the infrared and ultraviolet, which helps analyse things invisible to the naked eye
