Professionalism of clinical photography in the pediatric setting

Photography has a wide range of use in the medical field, ranging from clinical care to publication and teaching purposes. While photography is more common in certain specialties such as dermatology and plastic surgery, the accessibility to cameras and ease of documentation provides the opportunity for all fields to utilize this technology. In pediatric dermatology, photographs are taken to determine if conditions such as rashes and moles have changed or remained stable. Photos are also taken prior to biopsies to ensure the correct site is biopsied and used for monitoring for post-excisional changes. In surgery, photography is used to capture pre- and post-operative changes. Photography is also used to document trauma and physical abuse, which may be used as legal evidence. Clinical photography has also demonstrated its usefulness in this age of team-based healthcare, where different providers see the same patients over subsequent visits, allowing for new providers to see photographical documentation of conditions at a prior state.