Request further information via telephone or email
- You could call this lady to confirm the points of history as provided, you could also establish whether this spot blanches with pressure as described above
- You could also ask for further images to be submitted if the first image is not clear and these could also be useful to place in the patient's notes as a baseline for further checking
- You could also use the opportunity to tell the patient what they should look out for in future, with respect to this spot, and their skin in general, it would also be a good opportunity to offer general advice on sun protection
- At this point, if any uncertainty remains in your mind, or the patient seems unsure, you should arrange for them to see yourself or one of your GP colleagues at the surgery
Arrange a face-to-face assessment with the patient
- You could see the lady to examine them face-to-face or ask that they make an appointment to see one of your GP colleagues at the surgery, at this appointment the clinician seeing the patient would wish to confirm the history and examination findings thus far established
- This appointment would also be a good opportunity to give the patient advice about protecting their skin in the sun and keeping an eye on their skin and any moles they might have, and to report any that are new or changing
Refer the patient to secondary care
- You have satisfied yourself that this lesion does not cause special concern by ABCDE criteria and you are encouraging the patient to monitor the spots and get in touch with you or their GP if they are changing
- If the patient does get back in touch you would want to take a further careful history and assess the mole (by photograph or in person) using the ABCDE criteria first before making any further onward referral
