BMJ  2006;332:53-54 (7 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7532.53-b

Letter

Are GPs who specialise in dermatology effective?

Be wary of generalising research conclusions

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Editor—The conclusions of the study reported by Salisbury et al cannot be generalised.1 Some primary care trusts seem to see the appointment of general practitioners with a special interest at best as a "quick fix" for their waiting times problems and at worst as an alternative to the proper provision of secondary care dermatology services.

Appointing such specialists is not the only way in which dermatology services may be improved. The Department of Health's dermatology workforce group has concluded that the traditional model, with the general practitioner as the "gatekeeper" to intermediate or secondary care services is inimical to optimal care of patients with long term skin diseases. It sees the key to sustainable service improvement as being the separation of diagnosis from treatment.

All patients should have rapid access to diagnosis of their skin disease and that diagnosis should be undertaken at whatever level in the healthcare system is . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter M Lapsley, chief executive

Skin Care Campaign, London N19 5NA plapsley@eczema.org


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Relevant Article

Evaluation of a general practitioner with special interest service for dermatology: randomised controlled trial
Chris Salisbury, Alison Noble, Sue Horrocks, Zoe Crosby, Viv Harrison, Joanna Coast, David de Berker, and Tim Peters
BMJ 2005 331: 1441-1446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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