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In late 2022, the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency National Institute of Forensic Science (ANZPAA NIFS) Document Specialist Advisory Group (DocSAG) began a capability mapping project with the broad aim to consider, in the Australian and New Zealand context, forensic document examination: where are we now, and where to from here? Our capability mapping project is based largely on the approach used for the 2022 Forensic Capability Mapping – Firearm Examination Project, led by ANZPAA NIFS. A survey was developed and disseminated to capture information addressing key topics: current and emerging risks, improvement areas, current and future capability, and business continuity. This paper outlines the project process and summarizes key findings of the first round of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The New Zealand population has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world. Hospital waiting lists for surgical excision of keratinocytic skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) are lengthy, and increasingly, excisions are undertaken in primary care. Teledermatology, in response to general practitioners' electronic referrals (e-referrals), can improve clinical communication between general practitioners and dermatologists. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate an excision pathway for keratinocytic cancers diagnosed by teledermatology. Methods. A retrospective observational descriptive review of a 3-month cohort of primary care e-referrals was undertaken. Results. Three hundred and fifty eight suspected keratinocytic cancers (KCs) were diagnosed by teledermatology; histology reports confirmed KC in 201 of 267 excisions (75%). The majority (77.2%) were excised by general practitioners an average of 25 days after the dermatologist's recommendation. The rest were excised by plastic surgeons in private (3.4%) or at a public hospital (19.5%) after an average of 40 or 134 days, respectively. Discussion. E-referral pathways are now widely implemented. However, the ideal workflow for skin cancer management is unknown. We have demonstrated in New Zealand that surgery can be undertaken in primary care within a month of a teledermatology diagnosis and excision recommendation. Conclusion. This study reports prompt excision of KCs by general practitioners after an e-referral and a teledermatology response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]