Patients’ Views About Skin Self-examination After Treatment for Localized Melanoma

Abstract

What are the views of patients with melanoma on the importance of skin self-examination (SSE) and what role do they see for new digital technologies to support skin examinations?

We aimed to explore the views of patients with melanoma regarding SSE in general, as well as their attitudes toward using novel digital technologies to support their own SSE.

In this qualitative interview study among 37 patients with localized melanoma (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage 0, I, or II), participants were aware of the importance of thorough skin self-examination but showed a lack of confidence in undertaking it. Many participants were receptive to new digital technologies to assist them in performing thorough skin self-examination, provided they had sufficient technical support to use these new tools.