A guide for dermatology nurses to assist in the early detection of skin cancer

Abstract

Early diagnosis of skin cancer, particularly melanoma, leads to improved morbidity and mortality. While nurses have been leaders in skin cancer awareness and education for decades, the nursing community can take a more active role in the fight against skin cancer. In order to assume this role, nurses must be familiar with diagnostic aids that help in the early recognition of skin cancer. Dermatology nurses facilitate care in the interdisciplinary team by focusing on patient centered outcomes. Nursing roles and responsibilities in the interdisciplinary team are vital to clinic pre-screening, improving public awareness, disseminating patient education, providing guidance regarding sun avoidance and protection, and providing education on the fundamentals of skin self-examinations and total body skin examinations. Nursing skin assessment requires knowledge of skin lesion morphology and biology, and pattern recognition. As the sensitivity and specificity of naked eye examinations are suboptimal, dermoscopy provides a method for improving and streamlining skin lesion triage and assessment. In this review, we discuss a multi-prong approach to the diagnosis of melanoma, including the ABCDE mnemonic, the "ugly duckling" concept, and some newer technologies (e.g., dermoscopy and total body photography) that aid in the early detection of skin cancers. Familiarity with these detection aids can provide nurses with a basic framework to aid in diagnosing skin cancer.

Knowledge and practices of primary care providers on skin cancer and skin self-examination

“…More than half of the participants in the present study stated that they considered themselves at risk for skin cancer. In several studies conducted on the issue, it has been reported that an individual's perception of risk affects his/her health behavior, medical decision-making and acquisition of health information (23)(24)(25)(26) . In the current study, although more than half of the participants considered themselves at risk of skin cancer, the rate of those who visited a dermatologist was low.…”

“…Primary care providers should appreciate the importance of gathering a detailed patient history to identify patients with the highest risk of developing skin cancer (23)(24) . Awareness of the risks and symptoms of skin cancers and of the ways to prevent skin cancer play an important role in avoiding behaviors posing risks in the development of cancer and in taking the necessary precautions (23) . Accordingly, the importance of providing information and raising awareness about skin cancer whose incidence is on the rise becomes more evident.…”

Employing patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures to support newly diagnosed patients with melanoma: Feasibility and acceptability of a holistic needs assessment intervention

“…With increased patient volumes and advanced nursing roles in force (e.g. skin surveillance, lymph node checks, skin protection and self-examination education) (Skripnik Lucas et al, 2016), reviewing and attending to individual patient healthcare needs had to be limited to priority needs only and concluded within a short time space. It is thus important to identify ways to either bring the intervention down to a delivery schedule that is more manageable for lone providers or ensure that adequate resources for nursing support are available.…”