Skin Self-Examination Education During Mammography (SSE)

The proposed study is the second phase of a project assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of enhancing the early detection of melanomas among women, who are engaging in health promotion by having mammograms. The initial phase of the project framed risk messages, developed posters and brochures with the input provided by women undergoing screening mammograms, and assessed the feasibility of delivering the program during the mammogram visit at the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center of Northwestern Medicine/ Prentice Women's Hospital. The investigators seek to evaluate performance of skin self-examination (SSE) by women, who receive information during their mammogram appointment, and follow-up with dermatology for a melanoma screening examination. In the second phase, a more intensive intervention in which women will not only receive information about SSE, but will also receive a reminder to perform SSE one week after the screening mammogram and information on how to schedule an appointment with dermatology will be provided. The number of women who perform SSE at home and find a concerning mole (lesion), number who see a dermatologist, and number who have a concerning lesion biopsied will be compared in two arms of the study 1) women who receive the intensive intervention 2) women who receive the informational brochure about SSE alone. The hypothesis is that women who receive more the intensive educational intervention will be more likely to perform SSE at home and schedule a follow-up dermatologist appointment as compared to those who receive the information brochure alone. This project builds upon Robinson's successful SSE training program for melanoma patients that resulted in patients' accurate evaluations of suspicious lesions relative to dermatologists' skin examinations.