Google has announced a Health Tool that will help Identify Skin Problems. During the I/O conference, the company unveiled Derm Assist, a health care tool that uses artificial intelligence to help people identify skin, hair and nail conditions.
To use the app ,a user will have to log into Google account, take three pictures of the area for instance a rash on the arm , upload the pictures, then the tool will ask a series of questions about their skin type including other symptoms, then it will respond by giving a number of possible conditions from a set of 288 to give the user a list of possible marching conditions for further research.
For each matching condition, the tool will show dermatologist-reviewed information and answers to commonly asked questions, along with similar matching images from the web.
The tool is not intended to provide a diagnosis nor be a substitute for medical advice as many conditions require clinician review, in-person examination, or additional testing like a biopsy. Rather , it gives you access to authoritative information for one to make a more informed decision about their next step.
According to the chief Health Officer at Google, the company decided to tackle skin conditions by using Artificial intelligence because of their prevalence. She said that people go to Google to ask about skin conditions, and that they get about 10 billion skin queries annually.
The Global Burden of Disease project has shown that skin diseases continue to be the 4th leading cause of nonfatal disease burden world-wide. Recent innovations such as teledermatology, point-of-care diagnostic tools, and task-shifting help to provide dermatological care to underserved regions.