Thailand Launches AI Psoriasis System for Early Skin Disease Detection
Thailand's government has launched an AI system that diagnoses psoriasis from photos with 95% accuracy, aiming to expand skin disease screening in areas lacking dermatologists and reduce healthcare access gaps.
The government has launched the 'AI Psoriasis' system to screen for psoriasis through photographs with 95% accuracy, upgrading public health services and reducing healthcare disparities. On August 4, Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploychaleuy Luksameesangchan revealed that the government is advancing public health services through technology, enabling relevant health agencies to rapidly integrate digital solutions into the health system. The initiative aims to enhance public health capacity, strengthen health innovation roles, and ensure citizens have convenient, fast, and equitable access to healthcare services by using technology to reduce healthcare access disparities in line with the Ministry of Public Health's MOPH PLUS+ policy. The Dermatological Institute under the Department of Medical Services developed 'AI Psoriasis' to analyze redness, thickness, and scaling of psoriatic lesions from photographs, providing standardized and faster assessments particularly in areas without dedicated dermatologists. Testing on research datasets demonstrated the AI Psoriasis system achieved 95% accuracy, though further testing in real-world conditions and diverse populations remains necessary. The initial pilot phase will be conducted in healthcare facilities and networks partnering with the Dermatological Institute, selecting areas with adequate personnel, data infrastructure, and patient referral systems. 'Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting physical health, mental wellbeing, and quality of life, and is associated with serious comorbidities such as psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Since psoriatic lesions exhibit certain clinical characteristics analyzable from photographs, the 'AI Psoriasis' system represents an innovation enabling citizens to access screening near their homes, reducing travel burden, and facilitating timely specialist referrals, while also serving as a prototype for developing tools to support management of other dermatological conditions in the future.'
