A systematic review of advanced practice nurses' skin cancer assessment barriers, skin lesion recognition skills, and skin cancer training activities

Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

Volumn 23, Issue 12, 2011, Pages 667-673

  Loescher, Lois J ^a,b   Harris, John M ^b,c   Curiel Lewandrowski, Clara ^a,b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA   (United States)

^b Med Directions Incorporated   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA   (United States)

Author keywords

Advanced practice nurse (APN); Cancer; Continuing education; Dermatology; Risk factors; Secondary prevention

Indexed keywords

ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING; ATTITUDE TO HEALTH; CLINICAL COMPETENCE; DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS; EDUCATIONAL STATUS; HUMAN; METHODOLOGY; NURSING; NURSING EDUCATION; ONCOLOGY NURSING; PHYSICAL EXAMINATION; REVIEW; RISK FACTOR; SKIN TUMOR; STATISTICS;

ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING; CLINICAL COMPETENCE; DIAGNOSIS, DIFFERENTIAL; EDUCATION, NURSING, CONTINUING; EDUCATIONAL STATUS; HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, PRACTICE; HUMANS; ONCOLOGIC NURSING; PHYSICAL EXAMINATION; RISK FACTORS; SKIN NEOPLASMS;

EID: 83255186831     PISSN: 10412972     EISSN: 17457599     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00659.x     Document Type: Review

References (35)

1. American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. (2009). Home page. Retrieved from
2. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (1998). Certification and regulation of advanced practice nurse. Retrieved from
3. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2009). Home page. Retrieved from
4. American College of Nurse Practitioners. (2009). Home page. Retrieved from
5. American Cancer Society. (2009). Cancer facts & figures. Retrieved from
6. Balch, C. M., Gershenwald, J. E., Soong, S. J., Thompson, J. F., Atkins, M. B., Byrd, D. R. ... Sondak, V. K. (2009). Final version of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for cutaneous melanoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 19, 3635-3648.
7. Beckford-Ball, J. (2005). Increased role for nurses in provision of skin cancer care. Nursing Times, 101, 26-27.
8. Bickers, D. R., Lim, H. W., Margolis, D., Weinstock, M. A., Goodman, C., Faulkner, E., et al. (2006). The burden of skin diseases: 2004 a joint project of the American Academy of Dermatology Association and the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 55, 490-500.
9. Chen, S. C., Pennie, M. L., Kolm, P., Warshaw, E. M., Weisberg, E. L., Brown, K. M., et al. (2006). Diagnosing and managing cutaneous pigmented lesions: Primary care physicians versus dermatologists. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, 678-682.
10. Christos, P. J., Oliveria, S. A., Masse, L. C., McCormick, L. K., & Halpern, A. C. (2004). Skin cancer prevention and detection by nurses: Attitudes, perceptions, and barriers. Journal of Cancer Education, 19, 50-57.
11. Furfaro, T., Bernaix, L., Schmidt, C., & Clement, J. (2008). Nurse practitioners' knowledge and practice regarding malignant melanoma assessment and counseling. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 20, 367-375.
12. Geller, A. C. (2009). Educational and screening campaigns to reduce deaths from melanoma. Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America, 23, 515-527.
13. Geller, A. C., O'Riordan, D. L., Oliveria, S. A., Valvo, S., Teich, M., & Halpern, A. C. (2004). Overcoming obstacles to skin cancer examinations and prevention counseling for high-risk patients: Results of a national survey of primary care physicians. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 17, 416-423.
14. Godsell, G. (2004). A nurse-surgical post cuts waiting times and extends nurses' skills base. Professional Nurse, 19, 453-455.
15. Govindan, K., Smith, J., Knowles, L., Harvey, A., Townsend, P., & Kenealy, J. (2007). Assessment of nurse-led screening of pigmented lesions using SIAscope. Journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, 60, 639-645.
16. Gunasti, S., Mulayim, M. K., Fettahloglu, B., Yucel, A., Burgut, R., Sertdemir, Y., et al. (2008). Interrater agreement in rating of pigmented skin lesions for border irregularity. Melanoma Research, 18, 284-288.
17. Harris, J. M., Salasche, S. J., & Harris, R. B. (2001). Can Internet-based continuing medical education improve physicians' skin cancer knowledge and skills? Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16, 50-56.
18. Helfand, M., Mahon, S. M., Eden, K. B., Frame, P. S., & Orleans, C. T. (2001). Screening for skin cancer. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 20, 47-58.
19. Losina, E., Walensky, R. P., Geller, A., Beddingfield, F. C., 3rd, Wolf, L. L., Gilchrest, B. A., et al. (2007). Visual screening for malignant melanoma: A cost-effectiveness analysis. Archives of Dermatology, 143, 21-28.
20. Mahon, S. M. (2003). Skin cancer prevention: Education and public health issues. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 19, 52-61.
21. Mikkilineni, R., Weinstock, M. A., Goldstein, M. G., Dube, C. E., & Rossi, J. S. (2001). The impact of the basic skin cancer triage curriculum on provider's skin cancer control practices. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16, 302-307.
22. Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. doi:
23. Oliveria, S. A., Altman, J. F., Christos, P. J., & Halpern, A. C. (2002). Use of nonphysician health care providers for skin cancer screening in the primary care setting. Preventive Medicine, 34, 374-379.
24. Oliveria, S. A., Nehal, K. S., Christos, P. J., Sharma, N., Tromberg, J. S., & Halpern, A. C. (2001). Using nurse practitioners for skin cancer screening: A pilot study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 21, 214-217.
25. Phelan, D. L., & Heneghan, M. (2008). A survey of skin cancer screening practices among dermatology nurses. Dermatology Nursing, 20, 357-364.
26. Rigel, D. S., Friedman, R. J., Kopf, A. W., & Polsky, D. (2005). ABCDE-An evolving concept in the early detection of melanoma. Archives of Dermatology, 141, 1032-1034.
27. Rogers, H. W., Weinstock, M. A., Harris, A. R., Hinckley, M. R., Feldman, S. R., Fleischer, A. B., et al. (2010). Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States, 2006. Archives of Dermatology, 146, 283-287.
28. Rosenblatt, R. A., Andrilla, C. H., Curtin, T., & Hart, L. G. (2006). Shortages of medical personnel at community health centers: Implications for planned expansion. Journal of American Medical Association, 295, 1042-1049.
29. Saraiya, M., Hall, H. I., Thompson, T., Hartman, A., Glanz, K., Rimer, B., et al. (2004). Skin cancer screening among U.S. adults from 1992, 1998, and 2000 National Health Interview Surveys. Preventive Medicine, 39, 308-314.
30. Scope, A., Dusza, S. W., Halpern, A. C., Rabinovitz, H., Braun, R. P., Zalaudek, I., et al. (2008). The "ugly duckling" sign: Agreement between observers. Archives of Dermatology, 144, 58-64.
31. Shelby, S. (2008). The development of a standardized dermatology residency program for the clinical doctorate in advanced nursing. Dermatology Nursing, 20, 437-447.
32. Song, F., Eastwood, A. J., Gilbody, S., Duley, L., & Sutton, A. J. (2000). Publication and related biases. Health Technology Assessment, 4, 1-115.
33. Steinwald, A. B. (2008). Primary care professionals-Recent supply trends, projections, and valuation of services. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office. Retrieved from
34. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). (2008). U.S. preventive services task force grade definitions. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved from
35. Watson, A. J., & Kvedar, J. C. (2008). Staying on top in dermatology: Why we must act now to address the capacity challenge. Archives of Dermatology, 144, 541-544.