Photography in Telemedicine: Improving Diagnosis of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

BACKGROUND: The long-term follow-up (LTFU) team at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance uses telemedicine to diagnose and treat post-transplantation complications in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors. Photos are often requested via the telemedicine service to aid in diagnosis, but they are typically of poor quality, making them unusable.

OBJECTIVES: This project offered bachelor of science in nursing students, partnered with a comprehensive cancer center, the opportunity to participate in an evidence-based practice project to improve detection and management of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) in patients after HCT.

METHODS: Students partnered with RNs to develop instructional tools using multiple evidence sources. A brochure and video were developed.

FINDINGS: Providing these instructional tools to those in the LTFU program improved patient outcomes for managing cGVHD through telemedicine. This partnership provided an opportunity for mutual learning and improved clinical practice.