Primary care nurse's role and educational preparedness in skin cancer screening and early detection: A scoping review

Abstract

AbstractAimTo identify the available evidence regarding nursing roles in skin cancer screening and early detection and the reported education and training undertaken to do so.DesignScoping review, reported in accordance with PRISMA‐ScR.Data SourcesA database search of Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Emcare and JBI was conducted in November 2021. A grey literature search was conducted in February 2022. Searches were updated in August 2023.Review MethodsThe data were extracted and synthesized into themes related to nursing roles and education.ResultsOf the 2285 identified studies, 54 were included in the review. Nursing roles included screening and early detection, prevention and patient education or counselling. Except for specialized nurse practitioners, nurses working in primary clinical care mostly engage in skin cancer supportive/administrative roles rather than leading collaborators in screening and early detection. The education and training for nurses were identified around themes of didactic education, clinical experience, training in dermoscopy, performance and knowledge assessment and self‐efficacy.ConclusionThe roles and responsibilities of nurses working in skin cancer screening and early detection are highly variable, as are the reported training and education programmes. Little research has been conducted to explore this nursing role or the educational requirements needed for proficiency. With appropriate best practice education, it is within most primary care nurses’ scope of practice to obtain competence in delivering opportunistic skin cancer screening.Impact While most nurse specialists in dermatology will be proficient in dermoscopy and skin cancer screening, nurses who work in general practice are often underutilized due to a lack of opportunity and a clear pathway to becoming proficient in dermoscopic skin cancer screening. Most nurses involved in skin cancer screening are employed in advanced roles, and only a few studies investigating educational interventions utilized dermoscopy among advanced nurses. With specific training, nurses can work within their full scope of practice and increase access to skin cancer screening and early detection. Reporting MethodAdhered to JBI Guidance for Conducting Systematic Scoping Reviews.Protocol RegistrationOpen Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XUNE6Patient or Public ContributionN/A; a literature review.