A Review of Evidence Related to Clinical Skin Examinations in Primary Care

To identify any potential benefit between total body skin examinations in primary; care and skin cancer incidence and outcomes. We reviewed all 46 articles referenced within the USPSTF 2016 Skin Cancer Recommendation. We reviewed all 26 articles referenced within the Mayo Clinic's 2017 Melanoma Screening Report. We searched articles published within the past five years, specifically Medline using terms: "skin cancer, primary care, and nurse practitioner" and "skin cancer, primary care, and U.S." We searched CINAHL using terms: "skin cancer screening and primary care," also "health promotion, USPSTF, and skin assessment," and "risk factors, skin cancer, and prevention." We searched EBSCOhost using: "skin cancer, screening, mortality, and primary care" and lastly "skin cancer, screening, and recommendations." In all, we reviewed 136 articles. Our results were consistent with USPSTF finding that more evidence is required.; That said, the USPSTF recommendation applies to adults with average risk factors only. We identified Utah residents as a high-risk population for skin cancer. We also found that limited provider skill and knowledge was a recurrent factor and poses a barrier to performing accurate skin examinations. Evidence is insufficient to support clinical skin assessments as part of routine physicals in the general adult population this is primarily due to a paucity of research. Some evidence does support regular screening of high-risk individuals by trained providers. Lastly, primary care providers require additional training and ongoing education to perform accurate skin assessments