The busy nurse's guide to melanoma recognition

Abstract

Emergency department nurses are uniquely positioned to conduct skin examinations on many patients every day they work, as they are often the first to undress patients into examination gowns, as well as perform assessment tasks such as auscultating heart and lung sounds, auscultating bowel sounds, palpating the abdomen, and assessing the lower extremities for edema. In addition, ED nurses see a myriad of injuries to the skin and bones that requires visual assessment. By performing a routine skin examination on patients, ED nurses can significantly affect a reduction in the detection of advanced stage melanoma and, thus, increase survival rates.