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Education portal designed to provide latest melanoma diagnoses and treatments


Neelima Choahan


21/06/2018 4:33:32 PM

Melanoma Institute Australia has launched a free e-learning portal to educate healthcare professionals about the latest advances in melanoma diagnosis and treatment to ensure best practice and equity of care for melanoma patients around the country.

Professor Richard Scolyer, Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia, says the e-portal will help GPs get up-to-date with the latest diagnosis and care.
Professor Richard Scolyer, Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia, says the e-portal will help GPs get up-to-date with the latest diagnosis and care.

GPs will be able to access the latest advances in melanoma diagnosis and treatment thanks to a new free e-learning portal.
 
Developed by Melanoma Institute Australia, the online education tool is aimed at healthcare professionals, including GPs, specialists, dermatologists and nurses, and provides accredited videos and comprehensive training modules, as well as other resources.
 
Professor Richard Scolyer, Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia, said the portal stemmed from a need to address gaps in the current practice.
 
‘We identified gaps in the current melanoma knowledge in clinical practice through the patients that we see at our unit,’ Professor Scolyer told newsGP.
 
‘We are able to build this education site using research-driven, evidence-based content.
 
‘The portal will ensure healthcare professionals have free 24–7 access to the latest advances in melanoma clinical practice and research, regardless of where they are located.
 
‘This will benefit melanoma patients all over the world, and ultimately, save lives.’
 
Initial training modules currently available include:

  • Causes and Prevention of Melanoma
  • Early Diagnosis and Early Surgical Management
  • Achievements of Melanoma’s Dream Team
  • Drug Therapy for Melanoma
  • Melanoma Prognosis and Staging.
Melanoma Institute Australia Conjoint Medical Director, Professor Georgina Long, said the e-learning portal would particularly help those who do not normally specialise in diagnosing and treating melanoma.
 
Dr Morton Rawlin, Chair of the RACGP’s Dermatology Specific Interests network, said ongoing education in melanoma is particularly important for GPs.
 
‘The area of melanoma care is changing. Lots of research is being done which is improving patient outcomes and reducing toxicity of therapies,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘And GPs are seeing people frequently that are on the newer therapies, so it is important for us to be up-to-date with those.’
 
This comes as the Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD) revealed that Australian men considerably underestimate their risk of skin cancer.
 
A 2018 ACD Male Skin Cancer survey of 540 men aged 18 and older showed that less than one-in-three Australian men – 32% – consider themselves at high risk of skin cancer, despite 82% reporting at least one known risk factor, such as fair hair, skin that burns easily, or spending time outdoors each week.
 
It also revealed that 61% have delayed a doctor visit despite their concern about a health issue, with more than a quarter of full-time workers claiming to be too busy at work and unable to spare the time.
 
Professor Scolyer said melanoma is a major public health problem in Australia.
 
‘Australia and New Zealand have the highest instances of melanoma anywhere in the world,’ he said.
 
‘In Australia, it’s the commonest cause of cancer in 15–39 years, but it is also the commonest cause of death from cancer in the same group.’



australian college of dermatologists melanoma institute australia skin cancer


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Dr sofia   23/06/2018 5:53:54 PM

How and where to access this melanoma resources? Is there a link?


newsGP   25/06/2018 9:05:19 AM

Thanks for your query, Dr Sofia. The Melanoma Institute Australia online education tool can be accessed at https://melanomaeducation.org.au/
Thank you.


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