The daily use of dermoscopy in the Netherlands

Dermoscopy is a well-established tool for the diagnosis of skin diseases and skin cancer. Data on the use of dermoscopy by Dutch dermatologists is lacking.

To identify factors influencing the use of dermoscopy in daily dermatology practice and compare the results with those from other European countries.

As a part of a pan-European study, all registered dermatologists in the Netherlands were asked to complete an online survey regarding questions about training and attitude towards dermoscopy.

Valid answers were collected from 213 respondents (out of 475 registered dermatologists), of whom 99% reported using dermoscopy. Of those, 41% reported dermoscopy training during residency. A high level of dermoscopy use for different types of skin diseases was reported by 28.9%. Users considered dermoscopy useful for pigmented lesions, especially for the early diagnosis of melanoma, but less advantageous for inflammatory diagnoses. Seventy-three percent reported that dermoscopy increased the number of melanomas detected compared to naked eye diagnosis, and two-thirds reported a decrease in unnecessary biopsies of benign lesions. Almost one third reported that on at least one occasion, a lesion that appeared benign on dermoscopy proved to be a melanoma after excision.

This study reveals that nearly all Dutch dermatologists use dermoscopy, particularly for melanocytic lesions, but less so for inflammatory diagnoses. Most believe that they detected more melanomas as a result of using dermoscopy compared to the naked eye. A high level of dermoscopy use was significantly associated with seeing more skin cancer patients each month compared to infrequent use.