Study: Physicians Seldom Mention Sunscreen Use at Patient Visits

Physicians infrequently mention using sunscreen to reduce the risk of skin cancer during patient visits, even to those with a history of skin cancers, according to a study published September 4, 2013, in JAMA Dermatology. Researchers assessed nonfederal outpatient visits to U.S. physician offices from January 1989 through December 2010 from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, finding that physicians mentioned sunscreen at about 12.8 million visits (0.07%) and at 0.9% of patient visits associated with the diagnosis of a skin disease. Sunscreen was mentioned most often to white patients and least often to children.