New tech expands access to skin checks

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

A Northland iwi health provider is adopting the use of new technology to expand access to skin cancer checks, focusing on Māori communities.

Auckland-based start-up Kāhu - a spinoff of MoleMap – partnered with iwi hauora provider Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi, to provide free skin checks in Kaikohe in July 2022 using a specially designed camera to take images of lesions.

Over two days, MoleMap melanographers and Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi nurses saw 39 patients. Dermatologists were consulted via telehealth and recommended treatment to five patients for potential skin cancers, four of which were malignant.

Kāhu is partnering with Precision Driven Health to build tools leveraging MoleMap’s database of skin lesions and has prioritised working with Māori communities to further optimise its AI algorithm. This uses machine learning to differentiate cancerous from benign lesions, and prioritises those that need to be reviewed by a dermatologist.

Running in parallel in the Northland trial, the AI agreed with the human assessment 100 percent of the time.

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Tia Ashby (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Te Ati Awa), interim chief executive of Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi, says there is a critical shortage of doctors in the North, which means cancer diagnoses often happen too late for treatment to be provided.

“Barriers to specialist appointments exist, so we're missing the opportunity for early detection and treatment. Usually, our patients’ journey is fragmented and often they're bounced around from a doctor to a specialist due to missed appointments,” she says.

Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi plans to use the Kāhu technology in its clinic in Kaikohe, as well as in a mobile clinic that also offers services such as cervical smears and teaching how to self-check for breast cancer.

Some people live a two-hour drive from their nearest clinic and have issues with time and cost of accessing care. Ashby hopes to go live with the camera technology in November.

“Instead of expecting the people to come to us, we can bring the services to them,” she says.

Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi operates a nurse-led health service, with GP oversight provided via telehealth. Ashby says nurses found the camera technology simple and easy to use and the 40 appointment slots they made available in the initial pilot were booked up as soon as they were released.

While Māori do not have a high incidence of melanoma, there is a high mortality rate for those who have it.

“The opportunity for early detection means people can live longer meaningful lives. This is equity in action, because it’s removing barriers to care,” she says.

Read more about how PDH is partnering with Māori in this View from CEO Kevin Ross.

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