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Site identification challenges in dermatologic surgery: a physician survey.
Shari A Nemeth1, Naomi Lawrence
1Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona 85259, USA. nemeth.shari@mayo.edu
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
|May 8, 2012
Summary
Identifying biopsy sites for surgery is a common problem for Mohs surgeons. Photographs are the most helpful tool for surgeons to reduce the risk of wrong-site dermatologic surgery.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Surgical Oncology
Background:
- Previous studies indicated patient and physician difficulties in identifying surgical biopsy sites.
- The widespread nature of this challenge among dermatologic surgeons remained unassessed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of biopsy site identification issues among Mohs surgeons.
- To identify practice environments offering superior supplementary data for surgical site localization.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was distributed to 722 members of the American College of Mohs Surgery.
- The survey collected data on site identification challenges and documentation received from referring physicians.
Main Results:
- A 45% response rate yielded 325 completed surveys.
- 71% of respondents reported over 5% of patients struggle with site identification.
- 89% of surgeons found photographs most useful for site identification, with academic and group practices more likely to receive them.
Conclusions:
- Biopsy site identification is a prevalent challenge for Mohs surgeons.
- Photographs are the most effective documentation for mitigating the risk of wrong-site dermatologic surgery.
- Survey responses may be influenced by recall bias.
