Digital skin Testing Poised to Standardize Allergy Diagnosis Across Spain
TOLEDO,SPAIN - A new digital technology is set to transform allergy diagnosis in Spain,promising to reduce inconsistencies in skin testing and improve patient care. Developed by researchers at the Toledo University Hospital, the “nexkin” technology offers a standardized, objective method for measuring skin reactions, addressing the inherent subjectivity of traditional manual assessments. The project has already secured funding for a year-long comparative study to validate its effectiveness and pave the way for wider adoption.
Currently, allergy diagnosis relies heavily on visual interpretation of skin prick tests, a process prone to variation between clinicians.”You can really be giving a false positive or a false negative of some tests on a patient,” explains Cristina Rocío Rodríguez, one of the project’s authors. This can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment plans, as doctors may prescribe ”one treatment or another” based on differing interpretations of a patient’s pathology. The ultimate aim is to establish a “unified criterion” for skin test readings throughout the spanish healthcare system.
The Nexkin system utilizes a digital device to precisely measure skin wheal size, eliminating the reliance on manual calipers and subjective assessment.The Toledo University Hospital already employs the technology daily, with plans to expand its use to the Toledo Specialty Center. While currently limited to a handful of centers in Spain, including the Hebron Valley Hospital in Barcelona, nurses involved in the project are optimistic about its rapid implementation. They emphasize the machine’s intuitive design and fast training process, suggesting widespread adoption is achievable “in a short period of time.”
The timing of this innovation coincides with a reported increase in allergy cases, with nurses observing a rise in new allergy diagnoses. Some experts are beginning to link this trend to the effects of climate change. The project, titled ”Implementation of Nexkin technology in patients undergoing skin testing: enhancement in diagnostic accuracy compared to manual measurement in allergy nursing,” received a grant to conduct a comparative study analyzing traditional versus digital results, aiming to ”equate the evidence a little” and scientifically demonstrate the advantages of the new system. The authors express hope that the technology will eventually be implemented across all Spanish hospitals, establishing a consistent standard of care.
