ArticleThe British journal of dermatology2021
The effect of a dermato-oncological training programme on the diagnostic skills and quality of referrals for suspicious skin lesions by general practitioners.
Article in The British journal of dermatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Educational Interventions to Support Primary Care Provider Performance of Diagnostic Skin Cancer Examinations: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2022Pooled it
- Defining a theoretical framework for a quality referral at the primary-secondary care interface: a systematic scoping review with qualitative content analysis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Improving Efficiency in Teledermatology Triage of Skin Cancer Referrals.Cureus · 2026Article
- A Primary Care Intervention to Improve Melanoma Detection and Management.Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM · 2026Article
- Training Primary Care Practitioners In Dermoscopy Diagnostic Algorithms Enhances Diagnostic Accuracy and Triage of Suspected Skin Cancer: Scoping Review Evidence.Dermatology practical & conceptual · 2025Review
- Melanoma in Primary Care: A Narrative Review of Training Interventions and the Role of Telemedicine in Medical Education.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Review
- Barriers to Skin Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and Solutions: A Literature Review.Public health challenges · 2025Review
- Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography: Is One Hour of Training Sufficient for Diagnosing Basal Cell Carcinoma?Cancers · 2025Article
- Increased use of Dermoscopy in Primary Healthcare Following the Implementation of Teledermatology in Southeast Sweden: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 2,137 Patients.Acta dermato-venereologica · 2024Article
- Development and piloting of an online course to improve knowledge, confidence and attitudes towards triaging images of skin lesions submitted online in primary care.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- A novel deep learning framework for accurate melanoma diagnosis integrating imaging and genomic data for improved patient outcomes.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2024Article
- Needs and challenges among general practitioners in the management of actinic keratosis: a qualitative study.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Synthesis of Existent Oncology Curricula for Primary Care Providers: A Scoping Review With a Global Equity Lens.JCO global oncology · 2023Article
- SCDNet: A Deep Learning-Based Framework for the Multiclassification of Skin Cancer Using Dermoscopy Images.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Skin Cancer Education Interventions for Primary Care Providers: A Scoping Review.Journal of general internal medicine · 2022Article
- Training general practitioners in melanoma diagnosis: a scoping review of the literature.BMJ open · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe rising incidence rates of skin cancer (SC) lead to an enormous burden on healthcare systems. General practitioners (GPs) might play an important part in SC care, but research has shown poor clinical recognition of SC, leading to a high rate of potentially unnecessary referrals.
objectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate if a dermato-oncological training programme (DOTP) for GPs improved their diagnostic skills and quality of referrals.
methodsOut of 194 GPs in the Nijmegen area, 83 (42·8%) followed a DOTP on SC. Referrals from both a trained cohort (TC) and two cohorts of untrained GPs [untrained present cohort (UPC) and untrained historical cohort (UHC)] were included. Data on diagnostic skills, quality of referrals and the number of potentially unnecessary referrals were evaluated.
resultsA total number of 1662 referrals were analysed. The referral diagnosis was correct more often in the TC (70·3%) compared with the UPC (56·2%; P < 0·001) and the UHC (51·6%; P < 0·001). Furthermore, the TC also provided a better lesion description, mentioned a diagnosis more often in their referral letters and more often performed diagnostics before referral. In addition, fewer potentially unnecessary referrals were identified in the TC compared with the UPC (62·7% vs. 73·7%; P < 0·001) and the UHC (75·2%; P < 0·001).
conclusionsGPs who followed a DOTP had better diagnostic skills and quality of referrals than untrained GPs, leading to fewer potentially unnecessary referrals. This might enhance a more efficient use of the limited capacity in secondary dermatological care and consequently lead to lower healthcare costs.
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