an evidence-based checklist for melanoma patient triage
TRANSCRIPT
CLINICAL PEARL
An evidence-based checklist for melanoma patienttriage
Andrew T. Koogler, BS,a and Eliot N. Mostow, MD, MPHa,b
Rootstown and Cleveland, Ohio
CLINICAL CHALLENGE
Melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer deaths, and consistent and appropriate management is critical.Using published melanoma management guidelines, a checklist was created to ensure that all of the propersteps are taken in each patient with a newmelanoma diagnosis (Fig 1). The checklist is meant to improve patienteducation and follow-up compliance, communication between physicians, and communication with theirpatients.
DISCUSSION
High patient volumes and documentation issues in themedical environment can cause clinicians to skip stepsor miss details. By improving communication between the dermatologist, patients, and other clinicians, thehope is that patient outcomes will improve. Checklists can also help improve efficiency in an outpatient settingby decreasing the reliance on memory to carry out important tasks and steps in the communication andmanagement process. Our ultimate goal is to improve patient outcomes through effective education andenhanced compliance.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bichakjian CK, Halpern AC, Johnson TM, Hood AF, Grichnik JM, Swetter SM, et al. Guidelines of care for management of primary cutaneous
melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol 2011;65:1032-47.
Gawande A. The checklist manifesto: how to get things right. New York: Henry Holt and Company; 2009.
From the Dermatology Section,a Department of Internal Medicine,
Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, and the
Department of Dermatology,b Case Western Reserve University
School of Medicine, Cleveland.
Funding sources: None.
Conflicts of interest: None declared.
Reprint requests: Eliot N. Mostow, MD, MPH, 566 White Pond Dr,
Ste E, Akron, OH 44320. E-mail: [email protected].
J Am Acad Dermatol 2013;69:e45-6.
0190-9622/$36.00
� 2013 by the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2013.04.022
e45
Fig 1. Electronic checklists can be designed to allow dropdown boxes with pre-existing text tobe selected, or, like this version, checklists can be filled out manually.
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