Mobile phone pics help emergency NHS 24 diagnosis

A Scottish woman has had a life-threatening condition diagnosed after using a mobile phone to send pictures of her swollen legs to an NHS 24 doctor.

Fran Neri, 25, was rushed to hospital after the shocked NHS 24 doctor received the pictures of her swollen legs and immediately sent an ambulance.

According to the Scotsman newspaper Neri was diagnosed with cellulitis, a bacterial infection that can lead to blood poisoning.

She praised the doctor for his swift diagnosis and her partner James Sargent for his quick-thinking by sending the video of her swollen and red legs – common symptoms of cellulitis.

Neri discovered her lower legs up to her knees had ballooned to two-and-a-half times their usual size when she woke up last Tuesday. She had initially thought she was suffering an allergic reaction from a new pair of socks.

She first asked her pharmacist for advice when she collected a prescription. He advised her to go to her doctor.

Later that evening the pain and swelling became worse so she rang Scotland’s NHS 24 telephone advice helpline. She told the paper: "I decided to phone NHS 24 and James came up with the idea of sending him pictures of my legs because he’s really technical.

"When the doctor saw them he said he wanted to get me to the hospital and he phoned an ambulance to take me to the Western General. I started panicking when he said that because I knew it must be serious."

Neri is now reported to be on a course of antibiotics and pain-killers until the infection has cleared.

George Crooks, medical director of NHS 24, told the Scotsman: "If people have the technology available, we are more than happy to assist where possible in order to make a faster diagnosis. We are constantly updating and reviewing the developments of high-quality care and this can be through telephony, web-based contact and mobile phone technology."