Background
An evidence and stakeholder informed Health Workforce Training Strategy was developed to support early detection and prevention of skin cancer in primary care in Victoria, Australia. Strategy components included: resources and clinical guidelines, workforce training, and communications. This abstract presents the findings from the implementation and evaluation.
Methods
A cross-sectional online survey including questions on knowledge, attitudes and practices was emailed to General Practitioners (GPs) on a statewide database pre- and post-strategy implementation (2020-2022). Program records indicate the Strategy reached over 2000 health professionals.
Results
A total of 316 GPs completed the surveys. In 2022, 64% of all GPs reported having read the Cancer Council Melanoma Guide; and 53% reported reading the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Keratinocyte Cancer, significantly higher than in 2020 (33%). There was also a significant increase in GPs who reported promoting the SunSmart app to patients from 2020 to 2022 (24% cf. 37%). Still, in 2022, fewer than half (43%) of GPs surveyed typically provided accurate advice on sun protection to patients, and only 18% indicated they felt very well equipped to manage skin cancer after completing their training.
Conclusion
Findings suggest while progress has been made, gaps in skin cancer training and education remain. Many GPs lack confidence to diagnose and manage skin cancer and were found to be providing inaccurate sun protection advice. GPs play an important role in skin cancer prevention and detection, warranting further advocacy for standardised training, emphasising the importance of prevention, and promoting clinical guidelines.