Table 1. Baseline characteristics of each group.
| Intervention | Control | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Gender | ||
| Male n (%) | 28 (52.8) | 41 (46.1) |
| Female n (%) | 25 (47.2) | 48 (53.9) |
| Age at start of trial | ||
| Years – mean (s.d.) | 58.7 (14.6) | 59.5 (15.5) |
| Employment status | ||
| Full-time work n (%) | 21 (42.0) | 30 (38.0) |
| Part-time work n (%) | 4 (8.0) | 9 (11.4) |
| Retired n (%) | 24 (48.0) | 34 (43.0) |
| Unemployed n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.3) |
| At home n (%) | 1 (2.0) | 2 (2.5) |
| Other n (%) | 0 (0) | 3 (3.8) |
| Educational level | ||
| None n (%) | 11 (22) | 14 (17.5) |
| O grades n (%) | 8 (16.0) | 15 (18.8) |
| Highers n (%) | 1 (2.0) | 3 (3.8) |
| Vocational or technical n (%) | 13 (26.0) | 13 (16.3) |
| Degree or professional n (%) | 17 (34.0) | 33 (41.3) |
| Other n (%) | 0 (0) | 2 (2.5) |
| Melanoma details | ||
| Site | ||
| Head or neck n (%) | 13 (24.5) | 15 (16.9) |
| Back n (%) | 9 (17.0) | 17 (19.1) |
| Chest or abdomen n (%) | 8 (15.1) | 7 (7.9) |
| Arm n (%) | 5 (9.4) | 11 (12.4) |
| Leg n (%) | 15 (28.3) | 28 (31.5) |
| Acral n (%)a | 2 (3.8) | 11 (12.4) |
| Primary not identified n (%) | 1 (1.9) | 0 (0) |
| Breslow thickness | ||
| Median (IQR) | 0.6 (0.25–1.5) | 0.9 (0.4–1.7) |
| Breslow thickness categories (mm) | ||
| <1 n (%) | 30 (56.6) | 48 (53.9) |
| 1–4 n (%) | 20 (37.7) | 33 (37.1) |
| >4 n (%) | 3 (5.7) | 8 (9.0) |
| Time since diagnosis at the start of the trial (months) | ||
| Median (IQR) | 49 (19–76) | 63 (31–88.5) |
| Time since diagnosis categories (months) | ||
| 1–36 n (%) | 23 (43.4) | 28 (31.5) |
| 37–120 n (%) | 23 (43.4) | 55 (61.8) |
| 121–316 n (%) | 7 (13.2) | 6 (6.7) |
| Home location | ||
| Distance from ARI | ||
| Miles—median (IQR) | 27.6 (18.9–32.3) | 10.1 (2.3–25.9) |
| Distance from GP practice | ||
| Miles—median (IQR) | 1.6 (0.8–5.0) | 1.5 (0.8–3.6) |
| Distance categories (miles) | ||
| 0–19 n (%) | 15 (28.3) | 60 (67.4) |
| 20–39 n (%) | 31 (68.9) | 14 (15.7) |
| >40 n (%) | 7 (31.8) | 15 (16.9) |
| Travelling time to ARI | ||
| Minutes—median (IQR) | 38.0 (28.5–46.0) | 19.0 (7.0–33.0) |
| Travelling time categories (min) | ||
| 0–30 n (%) | 15 (28.3) | 63 (70.8) |
| 31–60 n (%) | 32 (60.4) | 14 (15.7) |
| 60–90 n (%) | 6 (11.3) | 12 (13.5) |
| Practice | ||
| Practice size (list size at participants general practice) | ||
| Up to 7000 n (%) | 4 (7.5) | 14 (15.7) |
| 7000–10 000 n (%) | 31 (58.5) | 23 (25.8) |
| More than 10 000 n (%) | 18 (34.0) | 52 (58.4) |
| Follow-up attendance | ||
| Total joint melanoma clinic attendances before trial | ||
| Median (IQR) | 6 (2–11) | 8 (2–12) |
| Joint melanoma clinic attendance categories | ||
| 0 n (%) | 11 (20.8) | 18 (20.2) |
| 1–6 n (%) | 16 (30.2) | 20 (22.5) |
| 7–26 n (%) | 26 (49.1) | 51 (57.3) |
Abbreviations: IQR=interquartile range; ARI=Aberdeen Royal Infirmary; GP=general practitioner.
a
Acral melanomas are those affecting the extremities, namely nail bed, palmar and plantar melanomas.