A Dermatological Advice System for Non-Experts

Abstract

Family practitioners, service medical officers and paramedical staff often have to diagnose and treat skin disorders. Many find the task difficult because of the limited amount of dermatology experience included within their professional training programmes. Text books, packed with colour photographs, have long been available as a source of guidance. Unfortunately, although these may be useful for training, they cannot normally be used during consultations. A search of the photographs and chapters that contained information about the observed features of the patient’s condition would be time-consuming, and would require some knowledge of the possible diagnosis.