Clinical photography of skin lesions: Professional and legal considerations in primary care

Abstract

Background Clinical photography is a fundamental component of visually oriented medical fields. The ubiquity of digital technology has brought the capacity to capture clinical photographs to the palm of a practitioner’s hand. It is important for general practitioners (GPs) who take clinical photographs of skin lesions to be aware of the associated legal and ethical obligations. Objective The aim of this article is to explore and explain current professional and legal considerations related to the use of clinical photography in general practice. Discussion Ensuring compliance with professional and legal standards when using clinical photography in general practice requires a firm grasp of the obligations associated with image capture, use, sharing, storage and security. GPs should ensure that before employing clinical photography, they have adequate consent-obtaining practices, regular habits of uploading images to the patient record, and sufficient device security. This will help to ensure that patient images are protected from being compromised.