A Patient-Focused Educational Intervention on Skin Cancer Prevention

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement project aims to increase patient knowledge on skin cancer prevention and lesion detection strategies to minimize their risk of this disease. This project took place in a concierge clinic in Surprise, AZ. Background: The significance of prevention efforts on skin cancer is demonstrated in the Surgeon General’s Call to Action, emphasizing the importance of patient education efforts regarding skin cancer preventive behaviors as a high priority to our nation and an imperative intervention in public health. UV protection strategies, dangers of indoor tanning, and lesion detection strategies such as the ABCDE rule and skin self-examinations were focused on in this project. Methods: This quality improvement project took place over three days and involved an in-person educational intervention utilizing pre-survey and post-survey questionnaires. The educational intervention utilized an educational brochure that focused on skin cancer prevention and lesion detection strategies. All patients 18 years or older during implementation were invited to participate in the project. Data collection and descriptive statistics were done utilizing Qualtrics. Results: Participant knowledge before and after the educational intervention was evaluated in a 5-point Likert format. After the educational intervention, 80% of participants rated their level of knowledge on skin cancer prevention as "good" or "excellent," and 100% of participants rated their level of expertise on lesion detection strategies after the educational intervention as "good" or "excellent." Through the satisfaction assessment, 100% of participants were "somewhat satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the educational intervention. In assessing the likelihood of carrying out teachings to their health, 90% of patients felt they were likely to utilize the education. Discussion/Conclusion: Overall, this quality improvement project successfully illustrated an increased level of knowledge of skin cancer prevention and lesion detection strategies among participants of the concierge clinic. Participants also had a high satisfaction rate with the educational intervention and demonstrated high likelihood of utilizing the education presented.