A new technology is set to speed up the diagnosis of skin conditions for patients in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The Digital Dermatology Pathway, a secure mobile phone app, will enable primary care clinicians to capture images of a patient's skin condition at the point of referral to dermatology.
This could significantly reduce diagnosis times and waiting periods for appointments.
The images will be securely stored on the National Digital Platform for Health and Social Care and attached to the patient's GP referral on the national SCI Gateway referral system.
The new system allows dermatologists to assess and diagnose skin conditions without the patient being physically present, ensuring the most urgent cases are prioritised.
Patients in Dumfries and Galloway will also benefit from this technology.
Dr Beth Kerr, GP locum and primary care clinical lead for the programme, said: "This tool has been designed with primary care needs as a priority, which has been very welcome.
"The app is intuitive and easy to use and gives the opportunity to quickly take images which are then seamlessly added to our SCI Gateway dermatology referrals with a few clicks.
"The process is safe and secure allowing us to use the app with confidence.
"Adding an image ensures referrals are as informative as possible for secondary care enabling them to triage patient referrals effectively and efficiently.
"This in turn will bring benefit back to ourselves and improve our patients’ journey, which I look forward to seeing realised soon."
The national pathway is backed by £1.8 million of funding from the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office.
It is one of the first innovations to be approved for national rollout through the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption Pathway.
Neil Gray, the Health Secretary, said: "The national adoption of innovations, such as the Digital Dermatology Pathway, will be critical to delivering our vision of a Scotland where people live longer, healthy and fulfilling lives.
"This is an important first step to rolling out a new service which has the potential to significantly reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes in a specialty that we know is one of the busiest with demand for outpatient appointments."
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