DescriptionPurpose of the Project: Skin cancers are treatable and curable when detected early. Cosmetologists are an untapped resource who can assist in the early detection of skin cancer. This DNP project was developed to demonstrate the usefulness of educating nail technicians about skin cancer screening and recommendations to seek healthcare providers.
Methodology: This pilot project is a quasi-experimental, one group, pretest posttest study provided an educational session for nail technicians to teach them to scan their clients for suspicious skin lesions of melanoma. Five nail technicians at a privately owned nail salon in New Jersey were recruited to participate in this study. They received a 30-minute educational session. Questionnaires were given to all participants before, immediately after and 6 weeks after the educational session to evaluate the change in their knowledge. Additionally, participants completed a client interaction log to document the results of their client skin cancer screenings and recommendations to visit healthcare providers.
Results: Five nail technicians participated in the educational intervention but only two nail technicians filled out the questionnaires. Both participants increased their knowledge on the post- test. Within the 6-week period, the two participants saw a total of 318 clients; one client (0.31%) was found to have an abnormal skin lesion.
Implications: Findings suggests that nail technicians can learn to scan their client’s skin for suspicious skin lesions as part of their normal nail services. Integrating identification of abnormal lesions into cosmetology programs will provide another opportunity to detect early stages of melanoma.