Physician perceptions of primary‐care‐based skin cancer screening in a Veterans Affairs pilot study

Abstract

Understanding primary care practitioner (PCP) barriers and facilitators to performing clinical skin examination (CSE) for skin cancer screening is necessary before widespread implementation. Time constraints, competing comorbidities, and patient embarrassment have been reported as obstacles. In 2016, the United States Preventative Services Task Force deemed the worldwide evidence as insufficient to assess the balance of benefits versus harms of skin cancer screening (I statement), neither recommending for nor against CSE. While the impact of primary care-based skin cancer screening on melanoma incidence and mortality has been investigated, qualitative studies describing PCP feedback and diverse contextual factors that may help or hinder program implementation are lacking. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.