How to conduct a general dermatology consultation

Do you conduct skin cancer checks or general dermatology skin exams in your practice? In this short video, Dr Christopher Ross walks through a typical general dermatology consult, giving his practical advice for how to conduct a full skin exam thoroughly and effectively for the diagnosis of skin cancer and dermatological conditions.

For further information on this topic, you may be interested to learn more about the HealthCert Professional Diploma program in General Dermatology.

Watch the full video with Dr Christopher Ross now:

In the video, Dr Christopher Ross gives his top tips for optimising a general dermatology exam or skin check in your primary care practice. He talks about lighting and magnification requirements in addition to the dermatoscope to check for skin malignancies such as skin cancer or a dermatological condition.

It is important to advise your patients that they may need to remove quite a bit of clothing for the consultation so that you can view their entire skin surface. They may like to have a chaperone in the room if your examination will include chest or genital areas. You can lessen this burden by having them remove just half their clothing at one time and working through the skin check incrementally.

Dr Ross speaks about the importance of a systematic approach to ensure the entire skin surface is thoroughly examined. For example, you might start on one side of the body or work your way from top to bottom. Covering all areas is especially important, particularly the soles of the feet, the nails and the scalp, and you should also ask patients about any concerns with their genital areas.

The video also covers when primary care doctors should consider referring patients onwards to a specialist dermatologist for review, and what conditions usually fall outside the scope of a GP.

Watch all this and much more in the full video above!

For further information on this topic, you may be interested to learn more about the HealthCert Professional Diploma program in General Dermatology.

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