High- and Low-risk Actinic Keratosis Referrals to Secondary Care

This study evaluates the implementation of the General Practitioners guidelines 'Suspicious Skin Lesions' and investigated whether their publication and implementation has led to a reduction in the proportion of referrals of low-risk patients with actinic keratosis to secondary care, after publication of the General Practitioners guidelines and implementation activities.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Actinic Keratoses Keratosis Keratosis, Actinic Neoplasms Precancerous Conditions Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Ellen Oyen

Maastricht, Netherlands

About this study

In the Dutch healthcare system, patients are first examined by the general practitioner who decides whether a referral to a dermatologist is indicated. Both general practitioners and dermatologists can diagnose and treat patients with actinic keratosis. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish which patients the general practitioner should refer to a dermatologist and which patients are suitable to be treated by the general practitioner.

This retrospective data study evaluates the proportion of low risk actinic keratosis patients in 2019 en 2018.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

patients of 18 years and older
referred to dermatologist for suspicion of actinic keratosis and diagnosed as actinic keratosis by the dermatologist
treated at MaastrichtUMC+ or TergooiHospital

Exclusion criteria

different diagnosis than actinic keratosis
referred by a different specialist than the general practitioner
referred with multiple problems
referred for a second opinion
if the patients was treated as different diagnosis than actinic keratosis by general practitioner

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Change in proportion of low-risk actinic keratosis patients among all actinic keratosis patients.

Time frame: 2018 compared to 2019 (2 years)

The change in proportion of low-risk actinic keratosis patients among all actinic keratosis patients referred by the general practitioner to the dermatologist. The definition of low-risk actinic keratosis patients was based on the General Practitioners guidelines 'Suspicious skin lesions' (published in 2017). Patients were defined as low-risk when they were not immunocompromised, did not have a cutaneous malignancy in their medical history, did not have previous treatment or if they did not have extensive lesions.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Maastricht University Medical Center

Other

Collaborators

Tergooi Hospital

Registry information

Official study title

High- and Low-risk Actinic Keratosis Referrals to Secondary Care. Implementation of the General Practitioners Guidelines for Actinic Keratosis Patients.

Important dates

Study start: 2021
Primary completion: 2023
Study completion: 2025
First posted: Aug 4, 2023
Registry last updated: Apr 4, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

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