More than 1 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancers are expected to be diagnosed this year

according to Nursing Forum. Many cancers, especially melanomas, are preventable, detectable, and treatable with early detection. Health promotion is utilizing different methods to prevent diseases rather than waiting for a cure to an existing disease. Dividing the methods into the three levels of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, and then arranging these according to the level of the disease they target. This scale of disease prevention graduates from general to more specific. This essay will cover many questions of nursing in relation to health promotion including what is the purpose of it in practice, how are the roles evolving, and how do we implement it in all areas. Nurses offer a considerable contribution in the management of skin cancer because of our unique position of being patient advocate and health educator. Primary disease prevention for skin cancer focuses on avoiding sunburns, skin protection, and sun awareness. The nurse s responsibility is broad, relevant education for an entire population and it meant as awareness for the public. Topics include wearing sunscreen when outside and not go outside when the sun is the strongest (10 am 3 pm) this is due to the relationship between melanomas and the number of sunburns or sun exposure This level of prevention is directed towards the person who does not have skin cancer, and the aim is prevent an occurrence. The nursing roles from the past caregiver to today s educator and from treatments to prevention show the dynamic purpose they serve. This function is about to change again according to research done in the United Kingdom (UK). The study showed that while adults understood the risks associated with sun exposure, they chose to ignore them because of the perceived benefits of tanned skin. This will mean a different kind of teaching for the public, and nursing will need to continue the primary disease prevention with a focus on parents and schools. In secondary disease prevention the focus is on detection with interventions after the disease has occurred, but before the person knows there is something wrong. With melanomas, this translates to screenings and skin inspections by a healthcare provider. Education imparting the importance of annual follow-ups on skin growths or freckles having irregular margins, and screening for new growths is a nursing responsibility. Nurses should identify those people at risk and intervene early to stop the disease process. A study conducted on people with increased risk of melanomas due to a genetic factor found that tailored information specifically for that person had more of an impact on their behavior than generic. This study also found that participants, due to body image deficits, did not want skin inspections done by a physician. This could be another opportunity for nurses because of our unique relationship with the client. Nurses should consider conducting the skin inspection then referring any concerns to the physician, thus making the client more comfortable. Diagnosis and treatment of disorder is the tertiary disease prevention level. For skin cancer, some tertiary prevention goals are to slow down the disease, prevent complications, provide care, and return client to pre-melanoma state. Tertiary prevention of melanoma involves limiting morbidity and extending survival in patients with advanced disease . Another role nurses fill is that of advocate. It is imperative that nurses act on the behalf of the client and help them

understand what is happening with their health. Treatments and surgical interventions are the normal course of action during this phase of disease prevention. Nurses must ensure that the client understands the treatment, alternatives, benefits, and possible complications of the procedure before initiating treatment. It is the physician s responsibility to obtain and correctly fill out the consent form. The nurse s role is to act as an advocate for the patient and ensure they understand what the doctor is saying. Simply having the patient explain back to you, in their own words, what the physician told them, can accomplish this. Regardless of the setting, all nurses must be aggressive in primary, secondary and tertiary disease prevention. Not only in educating the public, but in screening, early detection, and timely interventions for better client outcomes. All nurses, regardless of where they practice, have an important job. Some will be educators, others may be screening, and then there can be nurses giving treatments. Each nurse has a significant function in the outcome of each patient, and recognizing ways to educate, detect, and treat skin cancer is just one. Health promotion in nursing practice is imperative today due to the increasing roles that nursing has in conjunction with the increased acuity of the client. Outcomes are significantly better with early detection of skin cancer. In summary, primary prevention is preventing the disease from developing while secondary prevention is detection after being infected. Tertiary prevention focuses on the treatment and reoccurrence of illness.