Artificial intelligence for automatic detection of basal cell carcinoma from frozen tissue tangential biopsies.

Evaluation of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) involves tangential biopsies of a suspicious lesion that is sent for frozen sections and evaluated by a Mohs micrographic surgeon. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have made possible the development of sophisticated clinical decision support systems to provide real-time feedback to clinicians which could have a role in optimizing the diagnostic workup of BCC. There were 287 annotated whole-slide images of frozen sections from tangential biopsies, of which 121 contained BCC, that were used to train and test an AI pipeline to recognize BCC. Regions of interest were annotated by a senior dermatology resident, experienced dermatopathologist, and experienced Mohs surgeon, with concordance of annotations noted on final review. Final performance metrics included a sensitivity and specificity of 0.73 and 0.88, respectively. Our results on a relatively small dataset suggest the feasibility of developing an AI system to aid in the workup and management of BCC.

Artificial intelligence in medicine - dermatology compared to other medical specialties in FDA-cleared software as medical device.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have occupied the center stage in healthcare as research groups and institutions investigate their capabilities and risks. Dermatology is often cited as one of the medical specialties most ripe for disruption with AI technology due to the heavy incorporation of visual information into clinical decisions and treatments. Although the literature on AI in dermatology is rapidly growing, there has been a noticeable absence of mature AI solutions utilized by dermatology departments or patients. This commentary provides insight into the regulatory challenges facing AI solutions for the specialty of dermatology and the unique considerations that should be factored into AI development and deployment.

Factors Associated With Patient-Initiated Communication After Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Despite extensive counseling, patients commonly call with postoperative concerns after Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the incidence, reasons, and patient and surgical characteristics that lead to patient-initiated communication after MMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 1,531 patients who underwent MMS during the observational period was conducted. Demographics and perioperative characteristics of patients who initiated communication were compared with a random sample of matched controls. RESULTS: Of the 1,531 patients who underwent MMS, 263 patients (17.2%) initiated 412 communication encounters within 90 days of surgery. Top reasons for patient-initiated communication included wound concerns, bleeding, and postoperative pain. Female patients and those with a larger surgical defect size (cm) were more likely to call postoperatively. Patients who underwent second intention healing, grafts, and interpolation flaps were more likely to initiate communication compared to patients repaired with a linear closure. CONCLUSION: This study identifies the incidence, reasons, and patient and surgical factors predictive of patient-initiated communication after MMS, which may allow for targeted improvements in postoperative counseling, ameliorating patient anxiety, augmenting patient satisfaction, and improved efficiency for the health care team.

COGNITIVE BIASES: APPLYING BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS TO HEALTH CARE.

Write down the last two digits of your social security number. Now write down the maximum amount you would pay for a cordless keyboard. Surprisingly, studies have repeatedly shown that individuals who write down relatively high social security numbers are willing to pay up to 2-3 times more on average than individuals who write down relatively low social security numbers.1 The consistent results of this experiment testify to the power of cognitive biases and demonstrate how the decision-making of both patients and physicians can go awry.