TodayPictures will aid physicians
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Article RatingDr. Tony Guarracino remembers the old adage he learned in medical school:
“The body does not read the textbook when you are sick.” So he sees the value in the “Visual Dx” system the Carlisle Regional Medical Center recently received from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
As chairman of the hospital’s emergency department, he says the database will be a useful tool for doctors and first responders to more quickly identify public exposure to bioterrorism agents.
The Associated Press reports Carlisle is one of 45 hospitals in Pennsylvania to receive the system, which provides more than 10,000 medical photographs of nearly 600 diseases manifested on the skin.
The disease-identification systems are being funded with a $700,000 federal preparedness grant, Health Department spokesman Troy Thompson said.
Thompson told the wire service if the system proves successful in the 45 hospitals, the state hopes to roll it out to nearly 200 other hospitals in Pennsylvania.
Other local hospitals
Aside from Carlisle, PinnacleHealth Systems in Harrisburg, Hershey Medical Center and Summit Health Systems in Chambersburg received the system.
“We have it up and running and have been using it,” Guarracino says. “The database is amazing and very easy to use. A lot nicer than using a textbook.”
Guarracino explains while a medical reference book may have one or two pictures of the worst case scenario of a particular rash or skin lesion, the database could have upwards of 40 to 50.
The doctor adds the database offers of range of photos based on the progression of the rash or lesion and how its appearance may change with the use of creams, home remedies and ointments.
It also takes into account differences in skin color and whether a rash or lesion is indicative of exposure to a chemical agent, Guarracino says.
Suspicious cases
The goal of the database is to help medical personnel narrow the field of possible causes and help to diagnose a rash or lesion atypical to what they usually see, Guarracino says.
He adds the database gives staff an edge and keep in the forefront of their minds anything which may appear suspicious. “It helps facilitates that light bulb going off.”
Thompson agrees. “We know the importance of being able to quickly and accurately identify health threats. This is a big step forward for our bioterrorism preparedness.”
If a doctor doesn’t know where to start, he can begin by clicking on a general category like rash, lesions or bumps, and narrow down the possible diagnosis by adding in details like medical history, recent foreign travel and accompanying symptoms like fever or cough.
Bioterrorism attack
That kind of setup would be particularly valuable in the event of a bioterrorism attack, said Dr. Art Papier, founder of Logical Images, based in Rochester, N.Y., which makes the system.
“Even the most astute clinician will have difficulty diagnosing a disease they have never seen before,” he said. “One of the lessons of the unfortunate anthrax events of 2001 was the need to better prepare doctors for identifying very rare disorders.”
The “Visual Dx” system is accessed through a password-protected Web site. Hospitals also receive CD-ROMs with the data, in the event that a catastrophe disrupts access to the Internet.
It also can be used more routinely to identify ailments like Lyme disease and chickenpox.
This diagnostic tool is already in use at hospitals in New York, Washington and elsewhere.
