Early Screening and Detection of Melanoma in Primary Care

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer internationally. Early screening and detection of melanoma can improve overall patient health outcomes. Preventative patient education is also vital to prevent future skin cancers, such as melanoma from evolving. The majority of patients in the United States seek care from primary care practitioners. Primary care practitioners will play a vital role in early screening and detection of melanoma due to the increased incidences of melanoma and the predicted shortage of dermatologists in the future. In order to determine if primary care practitioners can improve patient health outcomes, a study was conducted using surveys to identify knowledge deficits in patients at risk. Full body skin examinations were performed on samples of patients in the primary care setting and in the dermatology settings. Preventative patient education was provided in both primary care and dermatological care settings. All patients were followed for three months to monitor self-care initiatives. The results showed that primary care practitioners can improve patient outcomes of melanoma through early screening, detection and preventative education. These outcomes can be enhanced by the development of clinical practice guidelines in the primary care setting for early screening and detection of melanoma in the future.