The incidence of the deadliest skin cancer, melanoma, has doubled in the United States over the past 20 years [1]. An estimated 96,480 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in 2019, and 7320 deaths resulted from melanoma [2]. Early detection leads to a greater proportion of removal of thin melanomas (<2 mm in thickness), which is associated with better outcomes [3-5]. Early detection is best accomplished by clinical skin examination (CSE), most often performed by a dermatologist. CSE is defined as melanoma risk assessment, head-to-toe skin examination, and pigmented lesion assessment. Currently, there is a shortage of dermatologists—the United States averages just 3.6 dermatologists per 100,000 people [6,7], which has not changed in the last 30 years even as skin cancer incidence continues to rise [8-10]. Patients could benefit from the availability of more practitioners, such as nurse practitioners (NPs), to conduct quality CSEs.

Previous research indicates that NPs may lack confidence and skills to perform CSE or assess skin lesions [11-14]. NPs have demonstrated mixed ability to distinguish lesions that are suspicious for melanoma from nonsuspicious lesions [11,12]; in one study, a majority of NPs stated that they would rather refer any skin lesion to a specialist [15], which is problematic given the shortage of dermatologists. Although NPs’ confidence in CSE is low, they believe that primary care providers, in general, help to detect skin cancer early [13]. In a pilot study, NPs showed promise for cultivating good sensitivity (ranging from 50% to 100%, n=4) and excellent specificity (ranging from 99% to 100%, n=4) when asked to identify suspicious lesions [16].

NPs desire more training and resources about skin cancer training [17]. However, a recent systematic review [12] concluded that there are minimal CSE activities for NPs, and the activities that exist are not well explicated. The majority of NP CSE-focused intervention studies had small sample sizes (eg, ranging from 1 to 30) [18-21], were lengthy (eg, 14 weeks to 6 months) [18], or did not describe NPs’ dermatological training [18-21]. Fewer interventions had modules lasting under an hour (eg, 15-45 minutes) or were self-directed (eg, reviewing pamphlets, posters, and two presentations) [22-24]. This manuscript describes the development and feasibility testing of a brief CSE educational video intervention for primary care nurse practitioners (PCNPs).

The purpose of this study was to develop and explore the feasibility of implementing a 1-week, digitally delivered video intervention with content on CSE for PCNPs. The videos covered three CSE skills, defined as melanoma risk assessment, head-to-toe skin examination, and pigmented lesion assessment. The specific aims were as follows: (1) Aim 1: to develop three microlearning-based melanoma videos with content on CSE that are suitable for digital delivery to PCNPs in various formats and (2) Aim 2: to assess the feasibility of the video intervention, including enrollment and retention rates, video intervention adherence, and acceptability and usability postcompletion. Table 1 presents the details of the aims, hypotheses, measures, scoring [25-30], and outcomes.

Video development was guided by the use of a microlearning conceptual framework and operational transparency. The informational content of the videos was adapted from previous studies [31-33]; adaptation focused on key concepts that could be addressed in a short amount of time [34]. Development also included creation of the video storyboards.

Microlearning allows for the dissemination of short, meaningful knowledge, which benefits practitioners with busy schedules. Microlearning is defined as “special moments or episodes of learning while dealing with specific tasks or content and engaging in small but conscious steps” [35]. Research findings document that the use of short content may increase information retention by 20% [36]. Microlearning is for users who have difficulty creating the time to engage in long stretches of learning activities outside of dedicated study times and institutional programs [34].

For operational transparency, we conducted a systematic review to ascertain the rigor of previous CSE interventions [37] using Sidani and Braden’s clarifying elements (see Multimedia Appendix 1) [38]. The goal of the intervention was to inform the participants about CSE, enhance their CSE skills, and motivate them to perform CSE. Each of the three videos had a specific learning objective. The specific strategies, respective components, and immediate goals for each video are in Multimedia Appendix 2. The media for intervention delivery were written (ie, reading) and verbal (ie, audio). The format consisted of a video of skills instruction along with a PowerPoint presentation with voiceover. The videos were each 5-10 minutes in length (ie, amount). Vimeo was used to house the videos; this is an online platform and community developed to create, upload, and share videos [39]. Participants viewed each video one time and spaced video viewings within a 1-week period (ie, frequency); therefore, the duration of the intervention was 1 week.

The research team created and reviewed storyboards for each video. The videos were produced in collaboration with video technology experts at the institution and were uploaded to Vimeo. The web application Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) maintained the surveys and the separate fields for each video link from Vimeo. REDCap is a secure workflow methodology and software application designed for the development and deployment of digital data capture tools to assist with clinical and translational research [40]. REDCap allowed placement of the Vimeo video link into the survey, enabling viewing of the video within the survey, without having to open a new browser window. The expert panel, which consisted of three dermatologists, evaluated the integration of the videos in REDCap.

The components of each module were assessed using Sidani and Braden’s content validity assessment [41] and the content validity index (CVI). The first content validity survey asked the dermatology experts to evaluate the relevance (ie, the degree to which the content has an appropriate sample of activities for the component being measured) and clarity (ie, the extent to which the storyboard is concise, accurate, and direct) of the storyboard content [42]. The dermatology experts could add comments with each item to provide further clarification. Based on the CVI scores and recommendations, video content and activities were refined. The dermatology expert panel reviewed the content validity for a second time while viewing the actual videos 1 month after the first review. They accessed the videos in REDCap and completed the System Usability Scale (SUS).

The five technical production items from Beaudin and Quick’s Quality Evaluation of Video (QEV) evaluated the integration of the videos into Vimeo. The following steps helped to confirm that the REDCap and Vimeo platform was functioning appropriately for the delivery of the surveys and videos:

Feasibility was assessed via enrollment and retention rates as well as video intervention adherence, usability, and acceptability (see Table 1). Video adherence was monitored by Vimeo, which calculated the number of plays, number of finishes (ie, participant viewed to the very last video frame), and average percentage of the video watched per module [43]. Participants completed a short satisfaction survey at the end of the study, which consisted of free-text and scaled items.

A purposive sample of 12 PCNPs was enrolled and 10 PCNPs completed the videos. A sample size of 10 is sufficient for a feasibility study because even a few cases are likely to be very informative with respect to the difficulty of recruitment, the acceptability of the intervention, costs, and logistics [44,45]. Eligibility criteria were as follows:

Participants were not excluded from the study based on gender, age, or race. Exclusion criteria were any previous skin cancer continuing education in CSE or training in CSE. Participants were recruited during a statewide meeting (ie, Arizona) and a local NP meeting (see Table 2 for demographic information). Interested NPs received an email that summarized the feasibility study along with a link to the consent form, surveys, and first video. Each email contained a unique link to the intervention. REDCap creates closed surveys, where each unique link is assigned a study ID number. The consent document was a disclosure form that listed the intervention length, investigator identity, and the purpose of the study (see Multimedia Appendix 3).

All data instruments, automated data capture, videos, and contact information were managed using REDCap. The schedule for delivering each video and the posttest survey were automated with REDCap. Human involvement was limited to in-person recruitment and sending the initial email to start the intervention. The videos were incorporated into the questionnaire. Participants completed the posttest survey, along with the usability and acceptability items, after the third video. A total of 1 week after the third video, participants self-reported personal use of CSE in their practice. All outcomes were self-reported though these online surveys and all questions had forced-choice answers. Participants did not have an option to review or change their answers after submission. Prompts were sent daily for up to 2 days if the participant did not view the video within the first 24 hours of enrollment. Participants who failed to submit the survey were not compensated, and the surveys were ineligible for analysis. Each participant who completed the intervention received a US $50 Amazon gift card. Data collection occurred from March to April 2019.

REDCap was developed specifically around the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule guidelines. The REDCap electronic data management system at the University of Arizona is housed on two virtual servers: one supporting database services and the other supporting web services. Hardware is located at the University of Arizona’s Information Technology Services Center (UITS). The space is physically secured within a keyless entry area. Hardware management and support are provided by UITS. The database server is located behind a firewall and the web server is in a Data Management Zone. REDCap software support is provided by the University of Arizona Center for Biomedical Informatics and Biostatistics. All web-based information transmission is password protected and encrypted in transit. Administration of REDCap is managed through virtual servers located at the University of Arizona College of Medicine [46].

Data from REDCap were exported into SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 26.0 (IBM Corp) [47], for data analysis. Analysis of sample demographic data consisted of descriptive statistics (ie, frequencies and measures of central tendency). For Aim 1a, the CVI was determined by dividing the number of dermatology experts giving the fact or item a score of 3 or 4 and dividing this by the total number of experts (ie, 3) [26]. Scores for the SUS and the QEV were analyzed using descriptive statistics (Aims 1b and 2). For Aim 2, the Attitudes toward Web-based Continuing Learning Survey (AWCL) was used and data analysis consisted of item mean scores, mean construct scores, and correlations between each construct.

Characteristics of the sample are listed in Table 2.

The dermatology expert panel conducted two reviews to assess the content validity of the intervention. Content validity scores primarily increased or were consistent during the second round of reviews after the storyboards were adjusted to address the reviewers’ recommendations from the first round. The scores of the following components decreased during the second round: right arm nevus count (relevance) and discuss systematic approach (relevance) (see Table 3).

The dermatology expert panel rated the integration of REDCap and Vimeo and the system’s usability as truly superior (mean 95.8, SD 7.2), with a range of scores from 87.5 (better) to 100 (truly superior). All expert panel members scored each of the five technical concepts—video design, intended content, visual quality, audio quality, and audio-visual relationship—as exceptional (mean 5, SD 0) (see Multimedia Appendix 4).

A total of 12 PCNPs consented from a list of 32 emails (38% enrollment rate). Out of 12 participants, 10 completed the intervention and the surveys (83% retention rate). Completion rate of the surveys was 100% (10/10). A total of 50% (5/10) of participants watched the videos in their entirety. Vimeo recorded 6 plays for video 1. Of the 6 participants who played video 1, only 1 (17%) failed to finish the video, ending it 30 seconds before the content was complete. Therefore, the lowest percentage of possible participants who completed all of the videos is 50% (5/10). See Table 4 for the video adherence information for each module.

The mean usability was better (mean 85.8, SD 10.6), with a range of scores from 72.5 (better) to 100 (truly superior). Acceptability of the intervention was assessed using the AWCL. The mean for each of the constructs—perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, behavior, and affection—all ranged between somewhat agree and mostly agree (see Table 5).

The overall mean satisfaction with the study and the intervention was 99% (SD 1.87, N=10; 100% = best). All participants (N=10) would watch the videos even if they did not receive compensation, they believed that the length of the video was “just right,” and they believed that the content was “just right.” Out of 10 participants, 8 (80%) preferred that the videos be accessible for 1 month. When participants were asked what they learned, they cited specific videos (eg, “scaling suspicious vs nonsuspicious lesions”) (5/10, 50%) and increased motivation (eg, “11 plus nevus right arm increased likelihood to have 100 plus. So quick and easy to check!”) (1/10, 10%), and some identified having already completed skin assessments (eg, “was a great refresher”) (2/10, 20%).