Secondary prevention of UV-induced skin cancer: development and pilot testing of an educational patient counseling approach for individual sun protection as standard procedure of patient care

OBJECTIVE: To outline the development and pilot testing of a patient counseling approach for individual sun protection for patients in outdoor professions diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma or multiple actinic keratosis due to solar UV radiation. This is a secondary prevention measure as part of the standard procedure of patient care by the respective statutory accident insurance. METHODS: Results of guideline-based qualitative interviews with seven outdoor workers and a search of literature formed the basis for the counseling approach, which was compiled in a manual. Interdisciplinary experts (dermatologists and educators) reviewed and consented the final manual. The pilot testing was conducted in consecutive steps (N(1) = 36 patients and N(1) = 2 counselors; N(4) = 12 patients and N(4) = 6 counselors). The first two stages of the revised guideline ‘Criteria for Reporting the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions in healthcare (CReDECI 2)’ serve as background and structure for presenting the results. RESULTS: The ‘counseling approach for individual sun protection (ILB: Individuelle Lichtschutz-Beratung)’ consists of seven general and eight add-on modules. These can be combined and tailored according to the patient’s individual needs. Interactive, educational components (e.g. haptic experiments) are crucial elements of the counseling approach. CONCLUSIONS: The special requirements of outdoor workers are hardly taken into consideration in Germany, even though the interest for an improved sun protection behavior of some occupational groups is high. The advantage of the presented approach is that the heterogeneous needs of patients can be specifically addressed with its various modules.