Photographic policy
Dermatology London March 2020
The purposes of photography
Photographic images of skin lesions and rashes as well as other parts of the body can be used as a useful record of pathology.
They can also be used to monitor change and treatment efficacy.
Equipment Used
Nikon D5600 with various Lens and flashes
Tripod
Green/blue Backdrop screen (large wall, and smaller area)
Before the photograph
The patient will have the purpose of photography explained by the requesting clinician.
The patient will be given an information leaflet.
The doctor will complete a referral form detailing which areas need to be photographed.
The patient will be given a consent form at the time of the medical appointment.
On arrival at the photography appointment the patient will be
a) briefed on what will happen during the appointment
b) given the opportunity to ask questions
c) asked to sign the consent form.
d) offered a chaperone
During the photograph
Use of Flash is required in order to get the most effective photographs. There will be a combination of overall reference shots as well as close-ups.
The patient will need to expose the area to be photographed adequately. Any makeup,clothing and jewelry that may impact the view should be removed. If the patient declines to expose certain areas this will be discussed and it will be explained that this will impact the effectiveness of the clinical photograph, but this is the patient’s choice.
If full body shots are required- they will be asked to stand in front of a blue/green background screen, and photographs will be taken from each angle/view as per a standardised chart.
If a single lesion is to be recorded, a reference photo to show the approximate location of a specific lesion will be taken
Another photograph of specific lesions with a ruler will be taken.
It may be required to mark the skin with a temporary marker in order to match individual close ups of lesions to a reference image.
Multiple images will be recorded in order to get the best image.
After the photograph
The patient will be given the opportunity to ask any questions.
Images will be uploaded to the clinical system and then deleted from the camera memory card as detailed in the data handling policy below.
How long will it take?
This depends on the number of photographs but generally no longer than 30 minutes.
Data protection policy and data handling.
Digital images from the camera are initially stored on the camera memory card.
After the photography session, images will be loaded onto the clinical record directly from the memory card which is a secure system designed for the recording of personal clinical information.
The images will then be deleted from the memory card.
Confidentiality policy
Images will only be shared with the requesting consultant dermatologist (Dr Afrina Alam) via the clinical system.
The images will not be shown to 3rd parties without explicit consent from the patient.
Where clinically indicated the images will be shared with other medical professionals in order to pass on clinical information for purposes of treatment/referral.
Patient non-identifiable images may be used for teaching purposes.
Dr Alan Starck
MB BS (Medical Degree)
LBIPP (Licentiateship Of British Institute of Professional Photography)
Dermatology London