Evaluation of a Brief, Tailored Skin Cancer Risk Assessment and Referral Intervention for Community-Based Health Educators: Brief Report

Merten, Julie Williams; Newell, Jean

Skin cancer rates are rising and earlier detection through screening leads to better outcomes. Health educators in community centers are well-situated to assess skin cancer risk, deliver tailored health information, and refer high-risk patients to a dermatologist for a screening. This study describes the evaluation of a brief, tailored skin cancer risk assessment, and referral intervention training. The training was developed as part of a pilot feasibility study and seven health educators were trained in an interactive session. Knowledge, attitudes, and efficacy were assessed before and after training. Health educators showed overall improvements of 22% in skin cancer risk knowledge, 50% improvement in positive attitudes toward assessment and referral, and a 40% increase in efficacy to intervene with patients. Community-based health educators that completed the training were able to successfully assess their patients for skin cancer risk and refer high-risk patients for a screening with a healthcare provider.