Patient Knowledge of Sunscreen Guidelines and Frequency of Physician Counseling: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Skin cancer and photodamage are problems commonly addressed by dermatologists. Despite the opportunities for chemoprevention with broad-spectrum sunscreen, there is little research investigating patient knowledge of proper sunscreen guidelines, or patient perception of physician counseling. Objective: The author sought to determine patient knowledge of the American Academy of Dermatology guidelines for proper sunscreen use and to obtain patient-reported rates of physician counseling regarding sunscreen. Design: We used a 12-question, multiple choice, anonymous survey to collect data. Setting: The study setting was a private dermatology clinic near Detroit, Michigan. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred ninety- four adult patients presenting for routine office visits were included in the study.
Results: About 59 percent of the subjects selected the recommended frequency of proper sunscreen use and 60 percent selected the recommended minimum sun protection factor. The minimum amount of sunscreen to cover the body, time of application before sun exposure, and time between reapplications of sunscreen did not receive a majority response. Differences in knowledge were seen between the sexes and skin types. Forty-four percent of patients previously received sunscreen counseling. Patients older than 40 years of age (39.3% vs. 18.4%, p=0.04), those who were fair skinned (62.5% vs. 23.8%), established patients (40.7% vs. 8.3%, p <0.0001), and those with a skin cancer (58.3% vs. 28%, p<0.0001) were more likely to report previous counseling. Conclusions: The majority of the study subjects never received counseling and lacked adequate knowledge of sunscreen guidelines. In order to obtain adequate primary prevention of skin cancer, it is essential to provide patients with further counseling and education on proper sunscreen use.