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Reports by Patients and Dermatologists of Skin Cancer Preventive Services Provided in Dermatology Offices
Amy M. Polster, BA;
Rebecca J. Lasek, PhD;
Linda M. Quinn, MS;
Mary-Margaret Chren, MD
Arch Dermatol. 1998;134:1095-1098.
Objective To learn how often patients receive skin cancer preventive services in dermatologists' offices.
Design Survey of dermatology patients and dermatologists.
Setting Dermatology practices of full- and part-time faculty at a midwestern medical school.
Participants Patients were randomly selected from clinical sessions of 11 dermatologists. Of 200 patients enrolled, 162 (81%) responded to the survey. Ten (91%) of the dermatologists responded, and 4 additional dermatologists from the faculty were also surveyed.
Main Outcome Measures Patients' and dermatologists' reports of the provision of skin cancer prevention counseling and screening for skin cancer.
Results Most patients (93%) had been informed about the risks of sun exposure, but for only 27% was a dermatologist the main source of information. Although 76% of patients had seen a dermatologist at least twice in the last 5 years, only 34% reported that they had ever received a total-body screening examination for skin cancer. Most patients (55%) would like to learn more about skin cancer prevention, and responded that they would learn best from a brochure (43%) or from a dermatologist (42%). All dermatologists believed that some skin cancer preventive services should be provided to each patient, but they varied widely in the proportion of their white adult patients to whom they provide such services. For example, with respect to counseling about sunscreens, the same number of dermatologists (4 [29]) responded that they counsel 25% or less of their patients, and more than 75% of their patients.
Conclusion There is wide variation in how often skin cancer preventive services are provided in dermatologists' offices.
From the School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University (Ms Polster and Dr Chren), the Dermatology Service (Drs Lasek and Chren) and the Program in Health Care Research (Drs Lasek and Chren and Ms Quinn), Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University (Drs Lasek and Chren), Cleveland, Ohio. Dr Chren is now with the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.
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