Technology Focuses on Acne Evaluation, Management

It is challenging for clinicians who are treating a patient with acne to accurately measure disease activity from visit to visit. Often, they must rely on personal memory and the patient’s perspective to determine if the skin problem is improving, which can be an imprecise and time-intensive process.

In the U.S., it is estimated that 60 million people have acne, and one-fourth will seek out medical services; however, pediatric dermatology services are particularly difficult for patients to access with referral wait periods that can exceed more than three months.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and associate professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and co-developers Elena Bernardis, PhD, and Jianbo Shi, PhD, are creating a software program using sophisticated computer vision algorithms that will expedite clinical visits for acne and allow physicians to spend more valuable time on patient education.

“We are excited about this project because of the great potential to streamline the efficiency of primary care management of this disease in a way that adheres to accepted evidence-based guidelines and reduces unnecessary referrals of less severe disease to specialists,” Dr. Yan said.

Learn more about this exciting program in the Research Annual Report.