Designing a Tablet-based Intervention to Support Self-checking for Melanoma

In this paper, we describe the development of a tablet-based e-health app to help those previously treated for melanoma check their skin for recurrent or new melanomas. We present the results of a longitudinal pilot study, conducted in Scotland over six months with 20 patients previously diagnosed with melanoma. The app provided instructions on how to perform Total Skin Self-Examinations (TSSE), a set of high resolution photographs of their skin for comparison, and the facility to send information and photographs of suspicious skin changes directly to a nurse specialist. We investigate patients' experiences of this type of intervention and outline insights into the development of future e-health apps which encourage self-checking behaviours.