Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Dermatology

.: ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Patients' Perspectives and Preferences About Medical Photography in Dermatology: A Cross-Sectional Study
Dermatolojide Medikal Fotoğraflamaya Hastaların Bakışı ve Tercihleri: Kesitsel Bir Çalışma
Sümeyre Seda ERTEKİNa,b, Mehmet ŞİMŞEKc,d, Asude KARA POLATa,e, Müge GÖRE KARAALİa,f, Filiz CEBECİ KAHRAMANc,g, Mehmet Salih GÜRELc
aDepartment of Dermatology, University of Health Science İstanbul Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Türkiye
bDepartment of Dermatology, Koç University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Türkiye
cDepartment of Dermatology, İstanbul Medeniyet University Göztepe Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Türkiye
dClinic of Dermatology, Private Medicabil Hospital, Bursa, Türkiye
eClinic of Dermatology, Memorial Bahçelievler Hospital, İstanbul, Türkiye
fClinic of Dermatology, İrmet Hospital, Tekirdağ, Türkiye
gDepartment of Dermatology, University of Health Science İstanbul Sultan Abdülhamid Han Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Türkiye
Turkiye Klinikleri J Dermatol. 2023;33(3):100-7
doi: 10.5336/dermato.2023-97608
Article Language: EN
Full Text
ABSTRACT
 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.

Keywords: Photography; dermatology; informed consent; ethics; surveys and questionnaires
ÖZET
 Amaç: Dijital tıbbi fotoğraflamanın, dermatolojik sağlık hizmetlerinin uygulanması ve sunulmasında artan kullanımı ile birlikte hasta gizliliğinin korunması ve medikolegal açılardan bazı endişeler ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu çalışma, dermatoloji kliniklerine başvuran Türk hastaların medikal fotoğraflamaya yönelik görüş ve tercihlerini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışmaya İstanbul'da bulunan 2 farklı 3. basamak sağlık kuruluşunun dermatoloji polikliniklerine başvuran erişkin hastalar dâhil edildi. Hastalardan 13 soruluk anket formunun doldurulması istendi. Bulgular: Çalışmaya toplam 357 hasta dâhil edildi, bunların %42,3'ü yakın zamanda bir dermatolog tarafından fotoğraflanmıştı. Hastalar medikal fotoğraflarının hastaneye ait bir fotoğraf makinesi ile çekilmesini (%69,5), hekimlerinin kişisel kamerası (%36,1) veya akıllı telefonu (%29,1) ile çekilmesine tercih ettiler (p<0,001). Çekilen görüntülerin saklanması için hastanelerin dijital arşivlerini (%70), hekimlerinin kişisel bilgisayarlarına (%30,5) veya akıllı telefonlarına (%19,9) tercih ettiler (p<0,001). Hastalar fotoğraflarının kendilerini takip eden hekim tarafından çekilmesini, diğer sağlık çalışanları tarafından çekilmesine göre daha kabul edilebilir buldular (p<0,001). Medikal fotoğrafların çeşitli amaçlar için kullanılmasında hastaların tanınabilir olmadığı fotoğraflar, tanınabilir olduklarına göre anlamlı olarak daha kabul edilebilir bulundu. Medikal fotoğrafların kullanım amaçları içinde en yüksek kabul oranı tıbbi konsültasyonlar (%75,9), en düşük kabul oranı ise internet siteleri (%10,4) içindi. Katılımcıların neredeyse tamamı (%97,2) tıbbı fotoğraflama öncesi aydınlatılmış onamın alınmasının gerekli olduğunu düşündü. Katılımcıların yaklaşık 1/3'ü tıbbı fotoğraflarının yanlış amaçlarla kullanımı ve istenmeyen kişilerin eline geçmesi ile ilgili endişe duyduklarını belirttiler. Sonuç: Çalışmamız, Türk hastaların medikal fotoğraflamaya karşı oldukça olumlu bir tutum sergilediğini ancak medikal fotoğraflama süreci ve sonrasına ilişkin bazı net tercihleri olduğunu ortaya koydu. Çalışmadan elde edilen bulgular, dermatoloji günlük pratiğini iyileştirmek ve bazı tıbbi fotoğraflama ile ilgili yasal yönergeler oluşturmak için kullanılabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Fotoğraf; dermatoloji; bilgilendirilmiş onam; etik; sörveyler ve anketler
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