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Shared medical appointments can be successful prior to Mohs micrographic surgery

Patients preparing to undergo Mohs micrographic surgery reported a high level of satisfaction after attending shared medical appointments, according to recently published study results.

“Shared medical appointments (SMAs) allow patients with similar diagnoses to be simultaneously educated and cared for by one provider,” the researchers wrote. “SMAs appear well-suited for Mohs micrographic surgery because all patients received similar information about skin cancer pathophysiology, prognosis, prevention, treatment, reconstructive options and wound care.”

The researchers implemented a pilot SMA for a preoperative consultation visit for Mohs micrographic surgery. A 13-question survey was used to measure satisfaction for patients who attended SMAs between August 2013 and February 2014.

There were 149 patients (average age, 70.9 years) seen during the SMAs, with a 65.8% survey response rate. Of the patients surveyed, 77.4% had basal cell carcinoma and 22.6% had squamous cell carcinoma. There was an average attendance of seven to eight patients per 90-minute period, compared with six patients scheduled for conventional appointments during the same time period.

On a Likert scale model of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, patients gave the SMA a mean value of 4.29. The SMA model was found useful by 84.7% of patients, with 95.9% of patients feeling prepared for the upcoming procedure and 71.4% indicating they would prefer the SMA over a conventional office visit. There were 80.6% of patients who reported they would opt to attend a future SMA, according to the researchers.

Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.