Photo Assessment of Eczema Study - What did we find out?
Can eczema severity be assessed from photos in clinical research studies?
We wanted to see if people with eczema were willing and able to provide photos of their eczema. We also wanted to see if the photo quality was good enough to be scored by a special computer program.
It’s important to understand what eczema patients prefer, and whether they would be comfortable and happy to send photographs for research. It could mean that participants can take photos of their eczema at home instead of travelling to a research appointment or clinic for assessment of their skin.
We are now using the photo assessment tool in our latest study – Keep control of Eczema.
What did we do?
This study looked at how easy it was for participants to take and upload photographs of their eczema.
Firstly, we asked people to answer questions and upload photos of their eczema for 4 weeks. The photos were put through a special computer program (EczemaNet). This has been developed using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and has been trained to assess eczema severity from photographs.
Secondly, we invited people back for an interview to discuss their experience in the study.
What did we find?
Image Quality
A total of 1,644 photo were provided
The image quality of photos submitted were high, and EczemaNet was able to judge eczema severity for 84% of them
Roughly 1 in 6 images were not useable due to there either being too much light, too little light, or blurriness.
Who took part?
118 people with eczema, 93 adults and 25 children took part in the main study, 76% were female and 23% male.
Do photos work for everyone?
For some people they might be a barrier to taking part in research:
Some people might not want to share photos of eczema outside of the family, particularly for cultural or religious reasons
Inconvenient for those with busy days, shift work and parenting.
Limitations for those who don’t have access to technology with a decent camera, WI-FI, and storage for the app.
But for others it could help them take part in research:
Easier than attending in person (especially if living far away)
More comfortable to show eczema on a camera than in person
What have we learnt?
User experience from interviews supports further testing in future studies
But it might not be for everyone, and there are still challenges that need addressing.
Photos are now being used in the Rapid Eczema Trials’ Keep Control of Eczema Study.
For more detailed results information, please click on the button:
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the research. It’s thanks to you that we were able to learn ways to improve this tool and keep testing it in future studies.