Dermatologists work hard to review hundreds of thousands of patients placed on the urgent suspected skin cancer pathways annually; however with 1 in 4 consultant posts unfilled [1] and trainee numbers not rising [2], demand continues to outweigh capacity. In 2023, >180,000 patients waited more than 28 days after urgent cancer referral for their diagnosis [3]. Diagnostic delays of 2 weeks or more can lead to a 20% decrease in 5-year-survival rates [4]. This current scenario is unsafe and unsustainable, but preventable.
With no easy way to suddenly increase the number of dermatologists, AIaMD can offer an alternative way to extend dermatology capacity, address demand, speed up current diagnostic pathways and improve patient outcomes.
[1] https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DermatologyReport-Sept21o.pdf
[2] https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/competition-ratios
[3] https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/
[4] Pacifico M, Pearl R, Grover R.
The UK Government Two-Week Rule and its Impact on Melanoma Prognosis: An Evidence-Based Study.
The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England. 2007;89(6):609-615.
GP refers to secondary care on the urgent suspected skin cancer pathway as normal.
Patients’ first appointments are at an imaging clinic, where consent, medical history, context and dermoscopic images are captured.
DERM assesses the dermoscopic images of lesions only.
Based on the outcome of the AI assessment, the case will be directed to the right level of care.
Patients are sent an outcome letter confirming the results and are discharged from the urgent suspected skin cancer pathway.
A trust dermatologist will review the case virtually and decide on a management outcome which will then be communicated to the patient.
At the end of Q2 2024, Skin Analytics had assessed over 120,000 NHS patients for suspicion of skin cancer. Our performance reporting shows our system consistently performs at a level comparable to specialists while reducing the number of urgent suspected cancer referrals dermatology teams need to review face to face.
If you would like to know more about how Skin Analytics can help you and your dermatology team deliver best in class dermatology, get in touch.
