Although it doesn’t feel like it, summer is just a few months away. With this in mind, how can healthcare providers keep us safe in the sun?
New research by QUT, Cancer Council Queensland and University of Queensland suggests that sending a text could prevent skin cancer. Their 12-month trial, targeted at people aged between 18 and 42, found that SMS was a flexible and effective communication channel.
Within the study, text messages were sent to promote sun protection. This involved sending reminders to wear sunscreen and advice messages around limiting their time in the sun between 10am and 4am. Messages were also sent to encourage early detection by checking their skin for early signs.
The results from this trial were really encouraging – sun protection habits and self-examination had dramatically improved. The proportion of people that were now self-examining had increased from 37% to 63%.
Could SMS be the answer to reducing the amount of people diagnosed with skin cancer and to increasing early detection?
