BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is a major public health issue in fair-skinned populations, and general practitioners (GPs) play an important role in the diagnosis and management of this disease. AIMS: To evaluate a self-instructional education module with audit and feedback, designed to increase the skills of GPs in diagnosing melanocytic lesions and skin cancer. METHODS: This study, conducted in Queensland, Australia, included 16 GPs who participated in an 18-month programme, comprising a 6-month baseline audit of skin excisions, a 6-month educational programme and a 6-month posteducation audit. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic accuracy of malignant lesions was 63.2% (95% CI 60.0-66.3) during baseline and 64.5% (95% CI 61.1-67.7) posteducation. Significant improvements were seen posteducation in the proportion of melanocytic lesions confirmed as malignant (6.1% baseline and 13.5% posteducation, chi(2) = 6.6, P = 0.01). GPs with < 15 years of practice recorded significantly lower levels of diagnostic accuracy at baseline compared with those with >/= 25 years of practice (P = 0.001). There were no differences in diagnostic skill posteducation according to years of practice. CONCLUSIONS: The education programme improved the malignant : benign ratio of melanocytic lesions, resulting in a doubling in the number of melanomas diagnosed. We found that GPs with less experience benefited most from the programme, indicating that tailoring of programmes to individual skills and years of practice might be beneficial.
BACKGROUND:Skin cancer is a major public health issue in fair-skinned populations, and general practitioners (GPs) play an important role in the diagnosis and management of this disease. AIMS: To evaluate a self-instructional education module with audit and feedback, designed to increase the skills of GPs in diagnosing melanocytic lesions and skin cancer. METHODS: This study, conducted in Queensland, Australia, included 16 GPs who participated in an 18-month programme, comprising a 6-month baseline audit of skin excisions, a 6-month educational programme and a 6-month posteducation audit. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic accuracy of malignant lesions was 63.2% (95% CI 60.0-66.3) during baseline and 64.5% (95% CI 61.1-67.7) posteducation. Significant improvements were seen posteducation in the proportion of melanocytic lesions confirmed as malignant (6.1% baseline and 13.5% posteducation, chi(2) = 6.6, P = 0.01). GPs with < 15 years of practice recorded significantly lower levels of diagnostic accuracy at baseline compared with those with >/= 25 years of practice (P = 0.001). There were no differences in diagnostic skill posteducation according to years of practice. CONCLUSIONS: The education programme improved the malignant : benign ratio of melanocytic lesions, resulting in a doubling in the number of melanomas diagnosed. We found that GPs with less experience benefited most from the programme, indicating that tailoring of programmes to individual skills and years of practice might be beneficial.
Authors: Jacqueline M Goulart; Elizabeth A Quigley; Stephen Dusza; Sarah T Jewell; Gwen Alexander; Maryam M Asgari; Melody J Eide; Suzanne W Fletcher; Alan C Geller; Ashfaq A Marghoob; Martin A Weinstock; Allan C Halpern Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2011-04-07 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Ashley E Brown; Maleka Najmi; Taylor Duke; Daniel A Grabell; Misha V Koshelev; Kelly C Nelson Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2022-06-16 Impact factor: 6.473
Authors: Jacqueline Dinnes; Jonathan J Deeks; Naomi Chuchu; Rubeta N Matin; Kai Yuen Wong; Roger Benjamin Aldridge; Alana Durack; Abha Gulati; Sue Ann Chan; Louise Johnston; Susan E Bayliss; Jo Leonardi-Bee; Yemisi Takwoingi; Clare Davenport; Colette O'Sullivan; Hamid Tehrani; Hywel C Williams Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2018-12-04
Authors: Jacqueline Dinnes; Jonathan J Deeks; Naomi Chuchu; Lavinia Ferrante di Ruffano; Rubeta N Matin; David R Thomson; Kai Yuen Wong; Roger Benjamin Aldridge; Rachel Abbott; Monica Fawzy; Susan E Bayliss; Matthew J Grainge; Yemisi Takwoingi; Clare Davenport; Kathie Godfrey; Fiona M Walter; Hywel C Williams Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2018-12-04
Authors: Lavinia Ferrante di Ruffano; Yemisi Takwoingi; Jacqueline Dinnes; Naomi Chuchu; Susan E Bayliss; Clare Davenport; Rubeta N Matin; Kathie Godfrey; Colette O'Sullivan; Abha Gulati; Sue Ann Chan; Alana Durack; Susan O'Connell; Matthew D Gardiner; Jeffrey Bamber; Jonathan J Deeks; Hywel C Williams Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2018-12-04
Authors: Jacqueline Dinnes; Jonathan J Deeks; Matthew J Grainge; Naomi Chuchu; Lavinia Ferrante di Ruffano; Rubeta N Matin; David R Thomson; Kai Yuen Wong; Roger Benjamin Aldridge; Rachel Abbott; Monica Fawzy; Susan E Bayliss; Yemisi Takwoingi; Clare Davenport; Kathie Godfrey; Fiona M Walter; Hywel C Williams Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2018-12-04