Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialReliability of assessment and circumstances of performance of thorough skin self-examination for the early detection of melanoma in the Check-It-Out Project.
Thorough skin self-examination (TSSE) has substantial potential to reduce melanoma mortality by early detection. ⋯ Estimates of TSSE performance vary substantially with the questions used to elicit this information. Partners, particularly spouses, appear to play a critical role in the conduct of TSSE, and wives appear more often and more effectively engaged in this process. Appropriate circumstances, such as availability of a wall mirror, are also important factors. These findings can be used to design interventions to increase TSSE performance with the ultimate aim of reducing melanoma mortality.