Referrals by general practitioners for suspicious skin lesions: the urgency of training

Acta Dermato-venereologica
Margit C J van RijsingenMarie-Jeanne P Gerritsen

Abstract

Skin cancer is common among white populations and rapid increases in incidence are being observed in many countries, leading to a large burden on healthcare systems. Unnecessary referrals from general practitioners (GPs) may contribute to this burden. The aim of this study was to analyse the quality of referrals from GPs of patients with skin tumours. Referral letters for 734 patients were collected. The proposed diagnoses were compared with definitive diagnosis made by dermatologists. In 44.5%, lesions appeared to be benign. Malignant skin tumours were poorly recognised by GPs and seborrheic keratoses were often mistaken for naevi (33.6%). Furthermore, with total body examination, dermatologists found 111 additional malignant lesions. We discussed several recommendations to minimise unnecessary referrals as well as the future role of GPs in skin cancer care.

Citations

Apr 24, 2015·Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice·John A Ford, Augustine Pereira
Jul 14, 2016·Journal of Cancer Education : the Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Education·Ana Filipa DuarteOsvaldo Correia
Jul 28, 2017·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·K AhmadiG J Dinant
Oct 21, 2014·The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery·Rafael DenadaiCassio Eduardo Raposo-Amaral
Apr 30, 2020·Family Practice·Tine VestergaardMerethe K Andersen
Sep 9, 2019·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·A UdreaT E C Nijsten
May 26, 2020·Journal of Cancer Education : the Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Education·E HarkemanneI Tromme

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