Low-cost community lesion imaging clinics for suspected skin cancer are safe and effective: a retrospective...

Teletriage is increasingly used to address the current skin cancer capacity crisis, with limited data regarding its efficacy and safety. We set up a network of low-cost community lesion imaging clinics (CLICs) using healthcare assistants and readily available equipment. Case notes were retrospectively reviewed to record teletriage outcomes, ultimate diagnoses, misdiagnosis of index lesions and re-presentation with incidental skin cancers. In total, 1398 patients attended a CLIC from January to May 2024: 544 were added to a day case list, 475 were triaged to urgent face-to-face appointments, 342 were discharged, 18 were offered routine follow-up and 19 were referred directly to another specialty. Of the discharged cohort, three patients had a change in diagnosis from benign to malignant (missed skin cancer rate 0.7%). Six patients had further incidental skin cancers diagnosed. This study supports implementation of low-cost CLICs as an alternative to traditional face-to-face review for patients referred with suspected skin cancer.