Latest Version of WHO Skin NTDs App: Specific for Often Neglected Skin-related Tropical Diseases
The World Health Organization has announced that there is an improved version of the WHO Skin NTDs App. The version will talk about several skin diseases which are mostly tropical and often neglected by the people.
This enhanced version of this app is “a valuable tool” to understand and find the cure for these diseases. According to WHO, the app is “designed to assist front-line health workers in diagnosing and managing skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs). The updated App is now available free of charge on both Android and iOS devices.”
There has been a specific instruction to delete the previous version of the WHO app before you install this version. As per WHO guidelines, “To ensure a smooth installation, users may need to delete the previous version from their devices.” The development has been possible because of the collaboration between WHO and Until No Leprosy Remains (NLR).
According to the WHO declaration, “NLR generously transferred the content of its SkinApp, which encompassed information on skin NTDs, 24 common skin diseases, and some HIV-related skin conditions, to the WHO Skin NTDs App. This collaboration has resulted in a comprehensive and user-friendly resource that aligns with the latest WHO recommendations.”
The key features of this elevated application have four valuable aspects, “Logical, offline algorithm”, “Multilingual support”, “Learning resources”, and “Cutting-edge AI integration (Beta)”.
This is an offline mobile application, which will help health workers to accurately diagnose and treat these skin diseases. By far, the application is available in English and French, but the platform is exploring various ways to precisely translate each step in various other languages as well, including Portuguese and Spanish.
This application has a learning-specific option called, “Skin NTDs Learning”. This segment offers, “Valuable training materials for front-line health workers. This content is derived from the WHO manual recognizing neglected tropical diseases through changes on the skin A training guide for front-line health workers.”
Apart from the publically available version of the application, The World Health Organization is also tying the knot with Universal Doctor and Belle (AI). This union determined to create a version that could classify photos of “skin lesions instantly”.
The field tests of this AI application are still under process. They have planned to use this in various parts of the country to assess its usability and performance accuracy. The organization is still working on whether this AI algorithm is able to categorize real-life conditions or not.
“AI has the potential to significantly enhance health care and global medical practices. However, its beneficial impact will only be fully realized when it is centered around principles of ethics and human rights throughout its development, implementation, and utilization,” WHO wrote.
Dr José Postigo, a Medical Officer in the WHO Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Program said, “This software application will rapidly furnish healthcare professionals with practical information for a particular disease, encompassing its clinical characteristics, treatment protocols, and geographic prevalence.”
WHO encourages everyone to use this application, especially frontline health workers.
