Perception and acceptance of medical photography among Arab dermatology patients: a cross-sectional analysis

Medical photography has been utilized in clinical, academic, and research settings. In conservative countries, such as Saudi Arabia, limited data reflect patients' viewpoints on medical photography. The aim of this paper was to assess patients' opinions on medical photography and the factors influencing its acceptability. A cross-sectional study utilizing a self-distributed paper-based questionnaire was performed in the dermatology clinics at King Abdulaziz Medical City (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) between February 2020 and January 2021. The response rate is 100% as only willing participants were handed a hard-copy survey and then retrieved once completed. A total of 414 Saudi adults were enrolled. Medical photography was highly acceptable, fairly acceptable, and poorly acceptable in 36.7%, 11.6%, and 14.3% of the patients, respectively. Females were more accepting of medical photography than males (p=0.041). Physicians were the most preferred choice as photographers (83%). Stating all intended use of the photographs was favored by most patients. Using a department- owned camera was essential to 84%. Patients who never had their photographs taken previously were more unaccepting of medical photography than those with prior experience (p=0.037). The main limitation of the study was that it was conducted at a single center; therefore, it may not represent the entire population. Medical photography is acceptable to the majority of patients. Meeting popular preferences, including physicians as photographers, using department-owned cameras, and stating all possible uses of the photographs may enhance patients' experience. The findings offer insight for developing a standardized framework that is suitable for both patients and physicians.