Practical workflows for different medical film and paper types

These instructions help preserve what the phone actually captured, rather than claiming to improve medical diagnosis. Select the corresponding preset on MedCam to see guidance while using the camera. Keep the original photograph and request source clinical images when necessary.

X-ray transparent film

Prefer a clean, evenly illuminated film viewer; film held in front of a window may produce uncontrolled backgrounds, reflections and uneven exposure. Keep the phone facing the film as directly as possible. Include all film edges and labels in the first picture. Inspect dark/bright patches carefully: a simple highlight warning cannot distinguish a reflection from a clinically meaningful bright area.

CT printed multi-frame sheets

CT sheets may contain many small slices. Photographing the entire sheet records its organization but can make individual frames unreadable. If a clinician specifically needs printed slices, create additional individual close-ups while retaining orientation markers and slice numbers. Do not crop away the sheet labels in every image. A print photograph cannot restore the original CT's reconstructed data, full image series or window/level interaction.

MRI printed multi-frame sheets

Keep the full sheet flat and backlit evenly. Follow the same full-sheet-then-close-up sequence when individual panels are too small. Avoid aggressive contrast or sharpening that might exaggerate features. Retain labels including study sequences and directions when present, and tell the recipient that these are photographs rather than the original MRI data. A phone photo is not an appropriate replacement when a doctor requests the source study.

Ultrasound images and paper prints

Some ultrasound prints are glossy and catch strong reflections. Use diffuse front lighting on opaque paper and suitable backlighting only if the medium is actually transparent. Ensure any printed measurement labels, orientation icons and annotations are visible. Avoid trying to restore unreadable numbers with AI reconstruction. If measurement precision matters, ask for the original report or clinic image.

ECG / EKG graph paper

Place the printout flat, use bright diffuse light and keep the camera perpendicular to it. Capture the entire page so lead labels and calibration marks remain present. Zoom into small waveforms only after recording a full-page shot. Perspective correction and rescaling do not yield a reliable physical grid calibration, so do not use the photograph for unvalidated measurements.

Mammography printed film

Fine image features can be difficult to preserve with a phone, even when a photo looks visually sharp. Use an appropriate viewer, avoid clipping bright highlights, retain the entire printed image and never infer or regenerate tiny structures. The intended clinician should obtain original imaging or a formal radiology report when diagnostic interpretation is required. This tool does not detect lesions.

Dental X-ray

For a transparent dental film use suitable, even illumination from behind; use reflected light without glare for a printed sheet. Keep tooth areas and available orientation marks visible, including borders. A camera photograph may have geometric distortion and cannot be treated as a calibrated source for measuring tooth or bone distances.

Radiology reports, prescriptions and laboratory documents

Use uniform front lighting rather than film backlighting, keep the entire page in view and verify every small character before sending. Medical document images often include patient names, dates, QR codes and hospital numbers. Confirm recipient consent and visibility of private information; the image tool does not automatically redact identifying text.

Should you use Auto or Manual capture?

Auto mode checks simple pixel patterns for likely blur, exposure, motion and boundaries. It may refuse to capture a good film or approve one with missing small details. Manual mode is always available. Review the original image before export and retake when essential labels, corners or details are unreadable. No quality score in MedCam measures clinical sensitivity or diagnostic accuracy.

Sharing a capture with a clinician

After taking or uploading a photo, inspect the original and derived copies. On a supported phone choose the file format and tap Share via apps to open the OS share sheet, then select an installed app and the correct recipient. When native file sharing is unavailable, download JPG or PDF and attach it manually. Sending a photograph to WhatsApp or social media transfers data to that app under its privacy rules; MedCam itself cannot guarantee the receiving app's delivery, storage or confidentiality.

References: DICOM Secondary Capture (technical standard) and MDN camera permission API. These workflows are practical photography advice, not a medically validated image acquisition protocol.

Open guided camera · Private image sharing · Medical limitations