A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessment
Scars can have a significant impact on the physical and psychosocial well-being, so the assessment of scars is crucial for accurate diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. Traditionally, these assessments required specialized, bulky equipment that needed a wired connection to computers, making these a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Burns Open |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468912224000774 |
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| author | Peter Moortgat Jill Meirte Mieke Anthonissen Koen Maertens Thibau Demarbaix Ulrike Van Daele |
| author_facet | Peter Moortgat Jill Meirte Mieke Anthonissen Koen Maertens Thibau Demarbaix Ulrike Van Daele |
| author_sort | Peter Moortgat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Scars can have a significant impact on the physical and psychosocial well-being, so the assessment of scars is crucial for accurate diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. Traditionally, these assessments required specialized, bulky equipment that needed a wired connection to computers, making these assessment tools less accessible and efficient. The increasing omnipresence of smartphones, equipped with high-resolution cameras and advanced sensors, presents an opportunity to address this gap by developing smartphone-based assessment tools. By providing an overview of the state of smartphone-based scar evaluation tools, this paper will highlight areas for future research and development.After a comprehensive review and synthesis of existing literature on smartphone-based tools for scar assessment, the authors identified 11 devices which met the inclusion- and exclusion-criteria. Among the 11 devices, four assessed skin color, two focused on hydration, one measured elasticity, two evaluated texture, three measured temperature, and one assessed thickness. Nine devices were tested on human skin, and only two on scarred skin. Seven tools were evaluated for both validity and reliability, while four were only tested for validity. Five devices required an add-on or clip-on, while six utilized the smartphone’s built-in features. All devices demonstrated moderate to high feasibility for use in various settings and required specialized software for analysis.The development of smartphone-based tools for scar assessment represents a significant advancement, offering accessible and portable solutions for both patients and clinicians. While only two scar-specific smartphone tools currently exist, applications, such as skin hydration and color measurement show promise for future integration. These tools have proven effective in assessing general skin characteristics but require further investigation of validity and reliability in a specific scar population. Moving forward, standardized protocols and enhanced imaging technologies, such as raw image formats, will be crucial for improving reliability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-96e5ff5964c844568a734890028877ac |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2468-9122 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Burns Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-96e5ff5964c844568a734890028877ac2025-01-19T06:26:27ZengElsevierBurns Open2468-91222025-01-019100389A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessmentPeter Moortgat0Jill Meirte1Mieke Anthonissen2Koen Maertens3Thibau Demarbaix4Ulrike Van Daele5OSCARE, Organisation for Burns, Scar Aftercare and Research, Van Roiestraat 18, 2170 Antwerp, Belgium; Corresponding author.OSCARE, Organisation for Burns, Scar Aftercare and Research, Van Roiestraat 18, 2170 Antwerp, Belgium; Multidisciplinary Metabolic Research Unit (M2RUN), MOVANT Research Group, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, BelgiumOSCARE, Organisation for Burns, Scar Aftercare and Research, Van Roiestraat 18, 2170 Antwerp, Belgium; Multidisciplinary Metabolic Research Unit (M2RUN), MOVANT Research Group, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospitals Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001 Leuven, BelgiumOSCARE, Organisation for Burns, Scar Aftercare and Research, Van Roiestraat 18, 2170 Antwerp, Belgium; Department Clinical and Lifespan Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumOSCARE, Organisation for Burns, Scar Aftercare and Research, Van Roiestraat 18, 2170 Antwerp, BelgiumOSCARE, Organisation for Burns, Scar Aftercare and Research, Van Roiestraat 18, 2170 Antwerp, Belgium; Multidisciplinary Metabolic Research Unit (M2RUN), MOVANT Research Group, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, BelgiumScars can have a significant impact on the physical and psychosocial well-being, so the assessment of scars is crucial for accurate diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. Traditionally, these assessments required specialized, bulky equipment that needed a wired connection to computers, making these assessment tools less accessible and efficient. The increasing omnipresence of smartphones, equipped with high-resolution cameras and advanced sensors, presents an opportunity to address this gap by developing smartphone-based assessment tools. By providing an overview of the state of smartphone-based scar evaluation tools, this paper will highlight areas for future research and development.After a comprehensive review and synthesis of existing literature on smartphone-based tools for scar assessment, the authors identified 11 devices which met the inclusion- and exclusion-criteria. Among the 11 devices, four assessed skin color, two focused on hydration, one measured elasticity, two evaluated texture, three measured temperature, and one assessed thickness. Nine devices were tested on human skin, and only two on scarred skin. Seven tools were evaluated for both validity and reliability, while four were only tested for validity. Five devices required an add-on or clip-on, while six utilized the smartphone’s built-in features. All devices demonstrated moderate to high feasibility for use in various settings and required specialized software for analysis.The development of smartphone-based tools for scar assessment represents a significant advancement, offering accessible and portable solutions for both patients and clinicians. While only two scar-specific smartphone tools currently exist, applications, such as skin hydration and color measurement show promise for future integration. These tools have proven effective in assessing general skin characteristics but require further investigation of validity and reliability in a specific scar population. Moving forward, standardized protocols and enhanced imaging technologies, such as raw image formats, will be crucial for improving reliability.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468912224000774 |
| spellingShingle | Peter Moortgat Jill Meirte Mieke Anthonissen Koen Maertens Thibau Demarbaix Ulrike Van Daele A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessment Burns Open |
| title | A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessment |
| title_full | A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessment |
| title_fullStr | A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessment |
| title_short | A perspective on the current state of smartphone-based mobile applications for scar assessment |
| title_sort | perspective on the current state of smartphone based mobile applications for scar assessment |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468912224000774 |
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