Dermatology in general practice

A significant percentage of the workload of a general practitioner is dermatological. This study has analysed the cases seen by one partner in a semirural practice over a 5-year period. Of a total of 11,191 patients seen, 2386 had a dermatological diagnosis (21%). There was a preponderance of females (1604, 67%) and the most common skin diseases seen were viral warts, eczema and benign tumours. Surgical intervention was carried out in 707 cases, an atypical situation for most general practitioners. It was only because of additional training as a hospital practitioner in dermatology that the partner treated both benign and malignant tumours where she felt confident to do so. The incidence of skin cancer was 3% and 22 patients were referred to a dermatology outpatient department.