Use of mobile telemedicine for cervical cancer screening of HIV-positive women in Gaborone, Botswana

Throughout the developing world, delivery of women’s health care, specifically cervical cancer screening, is limited by cost and access to trained personnel. Visual inspection with application of 4% acetic acid (VIA) is a practical, inexpensive alternative to cytology-based screening in areas where resources are limited. Mobile telemedicine using a cellular phone to photograph the cervix after VIA allows clinicians in “see and treat” cervical cancer screening clinics to capture high-quality images of the cervix, which can then be transmitted through the cellular network to a gynecology specialist located remotely. We present results of a prospective case-control study evaluating the accuracy of offsite (remote) expert diagnosis using mobile telemedicine photographic images of the cervix with VIA (PIA) in HIV-positive women in Gaborone, Botswana.