We are pleased to announce that Project Check Mate, the nonprofit project pioneering the world’s first AI-assisted national skin check program in Australia, was recently announced a finalist in the SA Health Awards. We are proud to support this cause with DermEngine, our intelligent dermatology and smart skin analytics platform for early skin cancer detection. 

'Project Check Mate' providing public skin checks 

Project Check Mate is an initiative by Skin Check Champions aimed at reducing the prevalence of skin cancer in Australia by offering free, public skin checks and education in a national skin check program. Skin Check Champions have access to our DermDx under an IRB approved study and it is the first implementation of AI in a real-world skin cancer screening at a national scale. The AI technology that supports these nurse-led clinics allow them to screen and check lesions against a database of clinical images to inform their diagnosis. Did you know 2 in every 3 Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70? Dermatology software like DermEngine can now support nurses to help make dermoscopy a simple and effective process. 

Who is South Australia Health? 

SA Health is the government body for the public health system of South Australia who is responsible for delivering health services and overseeing the state's healthcare policies and programs. 

What are the SA Health Awards? 

The SA Health Awards are an annual event that recognizes excellence and innovation in South Australia's public health system. This year, the Minister’s Award for Innovation celebrates groundbreaking projects and creative solutions that demonstrate a significant improvement in healthcare delivery. Project Check Mate was named a finalist in this category, being recognized for their work in transforming skin cancer detection and care for regional communities across South Australia.

Together against Australia’s ‘national cancer’

Project Check Mate is utilizing the DermEngine platform to capture and store dermoscopic images for later analysis by a professional. The proposed program has performed over 500 full body skin checks in 2022-23 by thirteen trained nurses, identified 40 potential melanoma (7.86%) and 129 non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) (25.34%) in the first research pilot. Collaborating with many centers of excellence, Project Check Mate is a mobile solution intended to reach the remote and rural parts of Australia to provide more accessible public skin checks. 

Skin checks can be administered initially this way until further analysis can be completed by a professional later. This provides the public and those most vulnerable with an interim solution to keep their concerns at bay. The first-of-its-kind workflow and process enables simple skin checks to be employed at large for effective screening and early detection of skin cancer for the public. The solution is an alternative where wait times are 4-12 months for seeing a dermatologist¹. 

Conclusion

The Skin Check Champions were one of few finalists in the SA Health Awards recognized for their excellent work in skin cancer early detection, prevention, and education in Australia and we are proud technology partners. MetaOptima solutions include MoleScope for mobile smartphone dermoscopy to take high-quality, medical-grade images easily. DermEngine can help manage these cases/images and extend resources by referring across a network for additional support. By leveraging DermEngine AI tools, a preliminary hypothesis can give peace of mind for now until images return a significant malignancy risk score, then cases can be easily expedited for more urgent care. When this alternative exists, then the majority of the cases which often turn out benign can still be screened with high accuracy while urgent cases can take our healthcare resources and professionals for more careful examination. 

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-The MetaOptima Team

Mobile dermoscopy and teledermatology can help make skin check services more widely available. Request a demo to see how DermEngine & MoleScope can pair to lower access for quality healthcare. 

 

 

Sources

1. https://www.newcastle.edu.au