Review of educational tools for skin self-examination: A qualitative analysis of laypeople's preferences

Issue addressed Skin self-examination (SSE) empowers individuals to be aware of their skin and to identify and present to a doctor with any suspicious lesions; however evidence-based, clear guidance for SSE is lacking. Methods A new acronym entitled SCAN (Sore, Changing, Abnormal, New) was compiled to help laypeople recognise early signs of skin cancer. This study undertook a qualitative investigation on how well laypeople understand SCAN and other commonly used educational tools (ABCDE, AC, and "ugly duckling"), whether they have a preferred SSE tool, and whether pictorial presentations enhance their understanding. Results Seven focus groups were conducted with 28 participants (age range 19-78 years), including 6 participants with a previous melanoma diagnosis. Among all the educational tools presented, SCAN was commonly described as the favoured to guide SSE. SCAN was perceived as patient-oriented due to its simplicity and use of easily understood words, while other tools, although perceived as positive in some aspects, were often identified as complex, difficult to understand and aimed towards clinician use. Pictorial presentations were desired as part of an educational tool; however, many also raised their potential disadvantages. Conclusion This was the first study to determine the patient perspective of SCAN and established a diverse range of potential quality indicators for SSE educational tools. So what? The findings of this study suggest that current widely used SSE tools may not be the most effective to promote SSE. SCAN may be preferred, as it simplifies SSE by using lay language and is applicable to all skin cancers.