Is photographic surveillance in melanoma diagnosis dispensable?
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Melanoma diagnosis at a specialist dermatology practice without the use of photographic surveillance.
Research topics and publications
Practitioner characteristics, diagnostic accuracy metrics and discovering-individual
The fifth publication utilizing SCARD (and part of 3 papers by the same research team) was published in April 2023 with the Australasian Journal of Dermatology
Databases and data lakes
One of the goals of Skin Cancer Audit and Research Data Inc is to establish a data lake of skin cancer treatments as well as processed results available in a database.
A database and a data lake are both data storage systems, but they have different architectures and use cases.
Educating doctors about skin cancer treatment
Skin cancer is a significant health concern in Australia, with one of the highest rates of skin cancer globally. As such, doctors and primary care practitioners must be well-educated on skin cancer treatment to ensure patients receive appropriate and effective care.
What are deidentified records
Deidentified records are a commonly used approach in medical research to protect the privacy of individuals whose data is being used. In Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provides guidelines for using deidentified data in research.
Self-auditing in Primary Care
Undertaking self-auditing is crucial for doctors in their practices for several reasons. Self-auditing refers to evaluating one’s work to ensure that it meets the required standards, and it involves reviewing medical records, patient care, and clinical outcomes.
Surgical auditing for practitioners
Surgical auditing is the process of reviewing and evaluating the outcomes of surgical procedures. This can help doctors compare their experience and results with their peers, as it allows them to see how their outcomes compare to those of other surgeons.
Skin Cancer Audit and Research Data Inc
Skin Cancer Audit and Research Data Inc (SCARD Inc) has been formed as the custodian for the research data collected by Skin Cancer Audit and Research Database (the SCARD Audit).
Characteristics, treatment and outcomes of 589 melanoma patients
The fourth publication utilizing SCARD (and part of 3 papers by the same research team) was in May 2022 with the Australasian Journal of Dermatology in a paper called “Characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of 589 melanoma patients documented by 27 general practitioners on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database.”
Characteristics of 637 melanomas
The third publication utilizing SCARD (and part of 3 papers by the same research team) was in August 2021 with the Australasian Journal of Dermatology in a paper called “Characteristics of 637 melanomas documented by 27 general practitioners on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database.”