Distributed personal health information management system for dermatology at the homes for senior citizens.

A distributed personal health information management system (D-PHIMS) has been tested at a nursing home for the senior citizens (NHSC) in Singapore. The personal health information management system (PHIMS) from the University of Washington was customized to Singapore's context for teledermatology. A clinical trial commenced in October 2005 is ongoing and the survey results obtained indicate that the participants are satisfied with the D-PHIMS system. The diagnosis and treatment recommendations made by the dermatologists using the D-PHIMS diagnosis module were effective in most cases based on feedback from the nursing staff at the elderly nursing home. The results suggest that a teledermatology system could become a useful tool for the nursing homes and to control increasing healthcare costs for elderly care.