None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of implementing a telehealth dermatology service (‘teledermatology’) for melanoma and skin cancer care in Regional Australia, by first piloting in a single general practice (Bendigo Primary Care Centre). Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or older, are presenting to Bendigo Primary Care Centre for assessment of a skin lesion of concern, and are willing to undergo clinical photography of the skin lesion of concern. Study details All consenting participants presenting to Bendigo Primary Care Centre during a 6-month period will have their skin cancer referral process managed through the teledermatology platform. GPs will submit an electronic referral containing basic information from participant medical records. and photographs of any skin lesions of concern to the Regional Care Navigator (RCN), a nurse at Bendigo Health. The RCN will assess the quality of photos, and if deemed sufficient, forward them to a reporting dermatologist. The dermatologist will complete a remote assessment and provide a report of preferred diagnosis and recommended management within 48 hours back to the RCN and referring GP. It is hoped that this study will show that teledermatology is a feasible and acceptable method of providing melanoma and skin cancer care in regional Australia. If so, this may provide evidence to facilitate implementation of teledermatology services in other regional general practices in Australia.
Interventions
In this pilot study, we will use an existing commercially available teledermatology platform to deliver a skin cancer triaging service in Regional Australia, to investigate its impacts on skin cancer referrals and clinical trials participation. Referring GPs at Bendigo Primary Care Centre will upload consenting patients' clinical information and skin lesion photographs onto the teledermatology platform. Photos are taken by the referring GP and estimated to take less than thirty seconds per skin
In this pilot study, we will use an existing commercially available teledermatology platform to deliver a skin cancer triaging service in Regional Australia, to investigate its impacts on skin cancer referrals and clinical trials participation. Referring GPs at Bendigo Primary Care Centre will upload consenting patients' clinical information and skin lesion photographs onto the teledermatology platform. Photos are taken by the referring GP and estimated to take less than thirty seconds per skin lesion. The Regional Care Navigator (nurse at Bendigo Health) will assess the quality of the photos, and forward these to a dermatologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. If required, patients will be invited to attend an appointment at Bendigo Health for improved clinical photos taken by the Regional Care Navigator, and are presented with concurrent opportunities to participate in other eligible clinical trials. The dermatologist provides a remote assessment of the preferred diagnosis and recommended management plan, and generates a teledermatology report using the same online platform. Management recommendations include reassurance of benign lesion, interval monitoring, non-surgical intervention such as cryotherapy, surgical intervention including excisional biopsies or referral to a dermatologist face-to-face assessment. Uptake and adherence to intervention will be assessed by audit of electronic medical records at Bendigo Primary Care Centre. At least 100 participants are anticipated to be enrolled over a 6 month period. An electronic modified technology acceptability survey will be used to assess acceptability of this service to patients, RCN, GPs and dermatologists.
Sponsors
Alfred Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Diagnosis
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Patients are eligible to be included in the study if they meet ALL of the following criteria: - Patient must have at least 1 lesion of concern to the patient or to the treating doctor. - Patient is willing to undergo clinical photography for skin lesion(s) of concern. - Patient is aged 18 years or older. - Ability to understand information written in English and capacity to provide informed consent - Patient must hold a valid Medicare card Regional care navigator will have performed duties for 6 months from the date of recruitment of the first participant. The GPs are eligible to participate if they have referred at least 1 patient to the regional care navigator via the teledermatology platform. The dermatologists are eligible to participate if they have provided teledermatology assessment for at least 1 patient via the teledermatology platform.
Exclusion criteria
- Patient has a known past or current diagnosis of cognitive impairment. - Patient is unable to stand for photography. - Unable to read and complete PICF and/or surveys
Outcome results
None listed