The skin cancer workload in Australian general practice

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• General Practice
• Public Health

Background:

• Skin cancer is a prevalent health concern in Australia.
• General practitioners (GPs) manage a significant portion of skin cancer cases.
• Early excision of skin cancer typically leads to a cure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the workload associated with skin cancer management in Australian general practice.
• To analyze the incidence and management of various skin lesions by GPs.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of consultation data from 495 randomly selected Australian GPs.
• Inclusion of 113,468 consultations, weighted for state size.
• Utilized Medicare and census data to determine consultation rates for different skin conditions.

Main Results:

• Skin tumors constituted 1.5% of all managed problems.
• Annual GP consultation rates per 1,000 people were 13 for malignant skin tumors, 23 for naevi/moles, and 13 for other benign lesions.
• Management primarily involved procedures (90% for malignant lesions, 50% for naevi/moles), with specialist referrals for 22% of malignant cases.

Conclusions:

• Significant age-related variations exist in the management rates of benign and malignant skin tumors and naevi.
• Most skin tumors are managed procedurally within general practice, often alongside other health issues.
• The actual workload for Australian GPs concerning skin cancer is greater than suggested by incidence data alone.