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Accessing Mole-Scanning through Community Pharmacy: A Pilot Service in Collaboration with Dermatology Specialists

Kirkdale, Charlotte L.; Archer, Zoe; Thornley, Tracey; Wright, David; Valeur, Mette; Gourlay, Nicola; Ayerst, Kurt

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Authors

Charlotte L. Kirkdale

Zoe Archer

David Wright

Mette Valeur

Nicola Gourlay

Kurt Ayerst



Abstract

Early identification and treatment of malignant melanoma is crucial to prevent mortality. The aim of this work was to describe the uptake, profile of users and service outcomes of a mole scanning service in the community pharmacy setting in the UK. In addition, health care costs saved from the perspective of general practice were estimated. The service allowed patients to have concerning skin lesions scanned with a dermatoscopy device which were analyzed remotely by clinical dermatology specialists in order to provide recommendations for the patient. Patients were followed up to ascertain the clinical outcome. Data were analyzed for 6355 patients and 9881 scans across 50 community pharmacies. The majority of the scans required no further follow-up (n = 8763, 88.7%). Diagnosis was confirmed for 70.4% (n = 757/1118) of scans where patients were recommended to seek further medical attention. Of these, 44.3% were ultimately defined as normal (n = 335) and 6.2% as malignant melanoma (n = 47/757). An estimated 0.7% of scans taken as part of the service led to a confirmed diagnosis of malignant melanoma. This service evaluation has shown that a mole scanning service available within community pharmacies is effective at triaging patients and ultimately playing a part in identifying diagnoses of malignant melanoma.

Citation

Kirkdale, C. L., Archer, Z., Thornley, T., Wright, D., Valeur, M., Gourlay, N., & Ayerst, K. (2020). Accessing Mole-Scanning through Community Pharmacy: A Pilot Service in Collaboration with Dermatology Specialists. Pharmacy, 8(4), Article 231. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8040231

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 27, 2020
Online Publication Date Dec 3, 2020
Publication Date Dec 1, 2020
Deposit Date Jan 16, 2023
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Pharmacy
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Issue 4
Article Number 231
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8040231
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/15940616
Publisher URL https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/8/4/231

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