This study evaluates the implementation of the General Practitioners guidelines 'Suspicious Skin Lesions' and investigated whether their publication and implementation has led to a reduction in the proportion of referrals of low-risk patients with actinic keratosis to secondary care, after publication of the General Practitioners guidelines and implementation activities.
In the Dutch healthcare system, patients are first examined by the general practitioner who decides whether a referral to a dermatologist is indicated. Both general practitioners and dermatologists can diagnose and treat patients with actinic keratosis. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish which patients the general practitioner should refer to a dermatologist and which patients are suitable to be treated by the general practitioner. This retrospective data study evaluates the proportion of low risk actinic keratosis patients in 2019 en 2018.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
3,379
Ellen Oyen
Maastricht, Netherlands
Change in proportion of low-risk actinic keratosis patients among all actinic keratosis patients.
The change in proportion of low-risk actinic keratosis patients among all actinic keratosis patients referred by the general practitioner to the dermatologist. The definition of low-risk actinic keratosis patients was based on the General Practitioners guidelines 'Suspicious skin lesions' (published in 2017). Patients were defined as low-risk when they were not immunocompromised, did not have a cutaneous malignancy in their medical history, did not have previous treatment or if they did not have extensive lesions.
Time frame: 2018 compared to 2019 (2 years)
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