Health outcomes initiatives in NSW have concentrated on the development of indicators to monitor services and their effect on health, and on the use of indicator data to improve the quality and outcomes of health services.

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This article reports on a process to identify a priority set of indicators to measure the performance of services for melanoma, outlined in the Australian Cancer Network's Guidelines for the Management of Cutaneous Melanoma published in June 1997. 1 Melanoma is a major cause of morbidity in NSW. In 1998, the year for which there is the most recently available data, it was the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in NSW residents, with 1,565 cases diagnosed in males and 1,119 in females; 2 accounting for 362 deaths, three per cent of all deaths caused by cancer. Melanoma was the most common cancer in males and females aged 15-39 years in 1998.The importance of reducing this morbidity and associated mortality was recognised in 1994 by the Cancer Expert Working Group when they set goals and targets for NSW to reduce the incidence of, and mortality due to, melanoma. 3 To assist in achieving these goals, a health WORKING OUT WHAT TO MEASURE: MELANOMA SERVICES * Currently psychiatric registrar, Chatswood Community Mental Health Centre.