Artificial Intelligence in the Evaluation of Telemedicine Dermatology Patients

Background: Early detection of malignant skin lesions reduces morbidity. There is increased need for a telemedicine triage tool to prioritize patients who require in-person evaluation for potential malignancy.

To evaluate the utility of artificial intelligence (AI) in telemedicine triage and diagnosis of cutaneous lesions.

Clinical photographs of unbiopsied skin lesions were presented to AI software and three board-certified dermatologists with 18 years average clinical experience. Diagnoses were compared with biopsy reports of the same lesions.

Results from 100 images revealed no significant diagnostic difference between AI and a panel of three dermatologists when using the AI top three differential diagnoses. The AI correctly identified 63% of the cases whereas the dermatology group correctly identified 64.3% of the cases (P<.05). In summary, there was no statistically significant difference when evaluating lesions.

The use of artificial intelligence as a method of triaging patients with potential skin cancer is a very useful option in telemedicine, as AI identification of BCC, SCC, and melanoma did not significantly differ from board-certified dermatologists. Both dermatologists and non-dermatologists will benefit from an AI triage system, prioritizing lesions that the software deems malignant. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(2):191-194. doi:10.36849/JDD.6277.