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Nurses screening for skin cancer: an observation study
P Katris1, R J Donovan, B N Gray
1Centre for Applied Cancer Studies, University of Western Australia. pkatris@cancerwa.asn.au
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
|June 18, 1998
Summary
Trained nurses can effectively identify suspicious skin lesions during opportunistic screenings, achieving 95% of the referrals made by plastic surgeons. This supports exploring nurses for cost-effective skin cancer pre-screening in high-prevalence populations.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Public Health
- Nursing
Background:
- Australia has the world's highest skin cancer rates, a significant cause of mortality and morbidity.
- Current evidence is insufficient to recommend routine skin cancer screening by primary care providers.
- There's a need to investigate non-physician roles in opportunistic skin cancer screening for cost-effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the performance of nurses versus plastic surgeons in identifying suspicious skin lesions during screening.
- To evaluate the viability of nurses in pre-screening for skin cancer in high-risk populations.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind observational screening study involving 256 participants.
- Nurses and plastic surgeons participated in a skin cancer screening program.
- Nurses' role was to identify lesions requiring specialist examination, not diagnosis.
Main Results:
- Plastic surgeons issued 77 referrals (30%) for suspicious lesions.
- Nurses identified 73 of these 77 referred cases (95% concordance).
- The study demonstrated high agreement between nurse observations and specialist referrals.
Conclusions:
- Trained nurses demonstrated high accuracy in identifying potentially cancerous skin lesions during screening.
- The findings support further investigation into using nurses for opportunistic skin cancer pre-screening.
- Utilizing nurses could offer a cost-effective approach to managing high skin cancer prevalence.