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📸 Capture and upload

In this section, you will learn how to capture an image and upload it to the platform. These two steps happen at the same time.

You will perform this task after creating the patient, and in every visit afterward.

Steps​

1. Position the patient​

Position the patient comfortably and ensure they remain still during the image capture process.

Ask the patient to kindly sit down. Having the patient sit down will increase their comfort and make the process easier. It will also help you to capture the four perspectives of the scalp, especially the top perspective, which is difficult to capture when the patient is standing.

Capturing images of alopecia

To take the images, please use a neutral, non-reflective background to reduce distractions and reduce artifacts or shadows.

The location should be well-lit for all images. Proper lighting is essential to ensure image clarity and quality. You can use natural light or artificial light sources to illuminate the area. This includes the flash of the smartphone camera, which can be used to enhance the image quality.

2. Click on 📸 Upload photo​

You can open the sidebar by clicking on the three horizontal lines on the top left corner of the screen. Click on Upload photo on the left sidebar.

Medical Research

Profile Picture

There, you will be able to select the patient and start the photo capture process.

3. Select the patient​

Select the patient from the dropdown menu. You can search for the patient by typing their subject number.

Start typing

You need to start typing the subject number to search for the patient. Just clicking on the drop-down does not display all patients; you need to start typing.

After selecting the patient, click on the green button Upload photo. This will open a pop-up window where you can upload the images, which comprises three steps.

  1. Condition: In this section, you will need to select the condition of the images you are about to upload. In this case, you will select Alopecia. This should be the only option from the dropdown.
  2. Instructions: You will see a reminder of the instructions to capture the images. This is a reminder of the steps you need to follow to capture the images correctly.
  3. Upload photo: This is the section where you will upload the images. You can upload the images by clicking on the button Select files or by dragging and dropping the images into the box.
Ignore the visit identifier field

In the first step, where you select the condition, you can also declare the visit identifier. You can leave this field empty, as the study will automatically consider the date of the report.

4. Capture the four images of the scalp​

Finally, you will need to capture the four perspectives of the scalp: left, right, top, and back. This will allow the AI algorithm to measure the extent of potential hair loss on the scalp.

You must click on each of the four quadrants and capture the respective image.

Capturing images of alopecia

Capture the whole scalp

Maintain a consistent distance from the camera to the scalp (approximately 20-30 cm or 7-12 inches), so as to capture the entire head, and ensure the images contain the whole scalp.

Other considerations​

The most important aspect of the image capture is to ensure that images are consistent across all visits. This will allow for accurate comparisons between the images taken at different time points.

Please consider the following:

  • High collars: Patients should consider wearing clothing without high collars that might obscure the scalp or neck area.
  • Facial hair: If the subject has a beard, we highly recommend keeping it consistent throughout the study to minimize variability between visits.
  • Hats and headwear: Any hats, caps, turbans, or other forms of head coverings should be taken off before taking the photo.
  • Hairstyles: Patients should not style their hair in ways that cover areas of potential hair loss (e.g., combing strands to cover bald spots, using hair extensions, wigs or hairpieces).
  • Hair accessories: We highly recommend not wearing any pins, beads, clips, or decorative items that might obscure the scalp.
  • Other accessories: Take off headbands, tiaras, and other similar accessories to ensure the scalp is clearly visible.

Having said that, it is important to maintain consistency in the image capture process to ensure accurate monitoring of potential hair loss over time. For instance, if a patient had some facial hair at baseline, they should maintain the same style throughout the study to ensure optimal comparability between images.

Troubleshooting​

Repeating an image capture​

You can re-upload images if there is an issue. Even if you already sent the images to the algorithm, you can still re-upload the images. The platform will automatically replace the old images with new ones. However, they should always be the full set of four photographs.

In other words: if multiple sets of 4 photographs are captured during a single visit, only the latest submission will be considered. Only the most recent set of 4 images taken on the same day will be used as the official study visit images of this day.