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General practitioners' accuracy in diagnosing skin cancers
Annamaria Offidani1, Oriana Simonetti, Maria Luisa Bernardini
1Dermatological Clinic, University of Ancona, Italy.
Background:
The incidence of both melanoma and nonmelanocytic skin cancers has risen dramatically during the past decades, skin cancer becoming an important public health concern.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of general practitioners (GPs) in the early diagnosis of skin cancers, their correct differential diagnosis of benign lesions and their accuracy in the choice of the treatment.
Methods:
A multiple-choice questionnaire regarding 7 cases (with 4 figures) were sent to 625 GPs to evaluate their diagnostic abilities.
Conclusions:
The results indicate that many GPs are not confident in their ability to recognize the most common skin cancers, and knowledge deficiencies were identified.