The Influence of an E-learning Program on Recognition of Actinic Keratosis

The evaluation on the diagnostic accuracy of actinic keratosis recognition by general practitioners before and after participation on an e-learning program.

Actinic keratosis is defined as the most frequent common intra-epithelial neoplasm in the Caucasian population, with an increasing prevalence. If left untreated, actinic keratosis has the potency to develop into a cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma. Treatment of actinic keratosis is aimed at both lesion reduction and to prevent malignant transformation. To achieve treatment adherence for patients, it is necessary to raise physician awareness about actinic keratosis. This study primarily aimed to investigate whether the sensitivity of establishing a correct actinic keratosis diagnosis by general practitioners (in training) would increase after participating in an e-learning program about the recognition of actinic keratosis. This was achieved by comparing the results of a pre- and post-test completed by general practitioners which was incorporated in the e-learning program.