Optimizing Access to Care Through New Technologies: a Randomized Study Evaluating the Impact of Telephone Contact and the Sending by the General Practitioner of Suspicious Lesions Melanoma Photographs Taken With a Smartphone, on the Time Limit to the Consultation With a Dermatologist

Early detection of melanoma showed an impact on the thickness of the lesions at the time of diagnosis. One challenge is to improve the modalities.

Decrease the rate of non-compliant patients among patients referred to the dermatologist for a suspicious lesion (patients who will never go to the consultation), and reduce the time interval between the first identification of the lesion and the excision allowing the diagnosis are major issues.

Direct contact between the general practitioner (GP) and the dermatologist would probably make it possible to shorten the care pathway of patients with lesions justifying excision.

The objective is to evaluate whether contacting the dermatologist directly by telephone and e-mailing the photograph of a suspicious melanoma lesion can significantly reduce the time required for access to the consultation for the following patients: (a) referred for a suspicious lesion of melanoma by the GP (b) and having a sufficiently suspicious lesion of melanoma so that the dermatologist conclude at the need for excision (true positives).

Expected results: The procedure should shorten the care pathway for patients with melanoma and decrease the proportion of patients who do not consult the dermatologist when they were referred ("non-observing patients").

This should facilitate the identification of thinner lesions. The benefit for the patient is then direct with a survival at 5 years higher.

In public health terms, it is expected a benefit as better optimization of resources. In a situation of shortage of professionals, access to the dermatologist should be optimized by optimizing emergency access for patients who require it.