Dermatology waiting times could be substantially reduced if GPs took instant photographs of their patients' visible symptoms and included them in referral letters.

When GPs were given cameras to take instant pictures of skin conditions, the number of patients needing to see a dermatologist was cut by 25%, a report in Family Practice says (2004:21:54-6).

And for more than 60% of patients who had a “photo diagnosis,” a management plan was made without the patient needing an appointment with a specialist before diagnosis. The mean time for drawing up …