Doctors and nurses risk burn for a tan

Doctors and nurses are as likely to suffer sunburn as everyone else in the quest for a tan, according to research by Mark Darling, a fourth-year medical student at Dundee University, and senior lecturer Sally Ibbotson.

They compared the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of healthcare professionals and the general public, and found that while the professionals had a better understanding of the risks of skin cancer, they did not use sunscreen more than the general public.

The majority of the public and the nursing profession, and 50 per cent of doctors, had tried to get a tan in the past two years, with 40 to 50 per cent suffering sunburn in the process.