Ibrahim, Farid (2019). Developing a medical photography best practice guide and teaching technical and ethical principles to clinicians: an exploratory sequential mixed methods study. McGill Family Medicine Studies Online, 14: e06
Abstract
Introduction: Obtaining medical photographs is becoming increasingly important in the practice of family physicians and medical specialists. Photos are used for many purposes such as clinical case management, clinical documentation, teaching, research or even as forensic evidence. There is paucity of knowledge about medical photography in the era of digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, and until today, there are no published guidelines or protocols to direct medical photography users. The objectives of this study are to; 1) identify unperceived educational needs in medical photography, 2) develop a best-practice guide that can help physicians master their photography skills and change their practice accordingly, 3) teach these principles to medical specialists and family physicians.
Methods: We conducted a literature review that was followed by a systematic review. An exploratory sequential mixed methods study design was applied using the results of both reviews. A qualitative research design employing a qualitative descriptive methodology was used, and followed with a quasi-experimental study to validate the results. Concerning the qualitative phase, a maximum variation purposive sampling approach was used to include medical photographers with a different range of age groups, and years of experience since training. Recruitment continued until data saturation was reached. In total, six semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with six medical photographers who were working in the Greater Montreal area in Canada. For the quantitative phase, twenty physicians were invited to participate in a hands-on workshop that presented the results of the qualitative phase. All twenty participants had to go through an assignment before and after the workshop. Assignments' results were compared to test and validate the best-practice guide. Finally, a questionnaire was sent to all attendees seeking their feedback, which should be considered in future studies.
Results: According to the literature and the systematic review in addition to the qualitative study respondents, the main challenges that face medical photography users are adjusting camera and lens, exposure, focal length, lighting, patient positioning, photo composition, patient consent, confidentiality and copyright. The ABC camerawork guide for Dr. Photographer was crafted. The fruit of all this work was used in our final project; consisting of teaching the best-practice guide through a hands-on workshop to practicing physicians, which successfully perfected their medical photography abilities and enhanced their practice.
Conclusion: This work resulted in a best-practice development that assists physicians in benefiting from the strengths of medical photography to enhance their practice and patient care.