ABSTRACT
The Skin and UV Neoplasia Transplant Risk Assessment Calculator (SUNTRAC) is a tool that can be used to decide when to first screen for skin cancer in organ transplant recipients (OTRs). The objective of this study was to assess the applicability of this tool in thoracic OTRs. Based on data from patient files, the OTRs were categorized into four risk groups according to the SUNTRAC tool. The time of the first post-transplant skin cancer in each OTR was recorded. The proportion of OTRs with post-transplant skin cancer in the low-, medium-, high- and very high-risk groups was 0%, 28.3%, 58.3% and 100%, respectively. This positive correlation suggests that SUNTRAC can be used to determine when to first screen for skin cancer in heart and lung OTRs.
Subject(s)
Organ Transplantation , Skin Neoplasms , Transplants , Humans , Organ Transplantation/adverse effects , Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis , Skin Neoplasms/epidemiology , Skin Neoplasms/etiology , Skin , Risk Assessment , Transplant RecipientsSubject(s)
Dermatology , Transgender Persons , Humans , Dermatologists , Surveys and Questionnaires , Attitude of Health PersonnelSubject(s)
Melanoma , Skin Neoplasms , Cohort Studies , Humans , Melanoma/epidemiology , Perception , Risk Factors , Skin Neoplasms/epidemiologyABSTRACT
AIM: Although commonly the first port of call for medical information, the internet provides unregulated information of variable quality. We aimed to evaluate commonly accessed web-based patient information on diverticulitis using validated and novel scoring systems. METHODS: The top internet search engines (Google/Bing/Yahoo) were queried using the keyword 'diverticulitis.' The first 20 websites from each were graded using the DISCERN and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria. A novel diverticulitis-specific score was devised and applied. RESULTS: Thirty-six unique websites were identified. The mean total DISCERN score for all websites was 39.92 ± 12.44 (range = 18-62). No website achieved the maximum DISCERN score of 75. The mean JAMA and diverticulitis scores were 2.5 ± 1.08 (maximum possible score = 4) and 11.08 ± 4.17 (19 points possible) respectively. Fourteen (35.9%) and 20 (51.2%) did not provide the date of last update and authorship respectively. Thirty-three (84.6%) mentioned surgery as a treatment option; however, the majority (69.7%) did not describe the surgery or the possibility of a stoma. All except two described disease symptoms. Only ten (25.64%) provided information on when to seek further medical advice or help. CONCLUSION: Web-based information on diverticulitis is of variable content and quality. The majority of top websites describe disease symptoms and aetiology; however, information to prompt seeking medical attention if required, descriptions of surgical procedures and the possibility of stoma creation are poorly described in the majority of websites. These findings should be highlighted to patients utilising the internet to obtain information on diverticulitis.
