VisualDx announced on Friday that it updated its artificial intelligence app for the iPhone or iPad to help non-dermatologists assess skin lesions and rashes.

"People expect expertise of their doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and we cannot expect these generalists to memorize all medical information," Dr. Art Papier, CEO and co-founder of VisualDx, told HCB News.

Over 65 percent of skin complaints are addressed by non-dermatologists, and 15 percent of primary care visits involve skin-related issues, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

In addition, medical students who are studying to be primary care physicians only receive an average of 21 hours of dermatology training. That doesn't equip them with the knowledge they need to diagnose skin conditions.

The VisualDx + DermExpert app evaluates photos taken by the clinician and classifies them within a second. The clinician can then view and confirm the lesion type classification, enter additional patient information and review diagnostic and treatment options.

VisualDx has been working with leading institutions and experts to develop an extensive collection of professional medical images. That's where the artificial intelligence component comes in.

"We teach the software with hundreds of thousands of images," said Papier. "With the machine learning, our app can analyze the potential skin lesion types based on the picture taken on the phone."

The full VisualDx suite is a web- and app-based clinical decision support system. It's already in use at 1,600 hospitals and clinics around the country.

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