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Dermatitis management guidelines updated for PCPs
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A recent report in Pediatrics translated the treatment guidelines for patients with atopic dermatitis as a means of making the recommendations more accessible and useful to primary care providers.
“The treatment model proposed … is designed specifically for use by pediatricians and other [primary care providers (PCPs)] and includes basic management measures to be used regardless of [atopic dermatitis (AD)] severity,” Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD, chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego and a member of the Infectious Diseases in Children Editorial Board, and colleagues wrote. “Pediatricians and other PCPs play a central role in the management of atopic dermatitis, be it by referring patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis for specialized care, providing ongoing maintenance care after evaluation by specialists, or managing patients with mild or more episodic AD themselves.”
Lawrence F. Eichenfield
Eichenfield and colleagues translated the AD guidelines, which they noted were primarily written for use by specialists, because they lacked elements necessary for pediatricians and PCPs to assess patients with AD. As a result, they said, about 85% of PCPs refer most mild cases of AD to a dermatologist after providing minimal initial care.
Pertinent elements of the translated guidelines included:
- symptoms to be aware of in order to make a definite diagnosis;
- basic management of AD, such as moisturizing, antiseptic measures and trigger avoidance;
- when to scale-up treatment for flares;
- treatment of flares with topical corticosteroids; and
- tailoring individualized treatment plans for varying cases of AD.
The researchers anticipate that their report will assist pediatricians and PCPs with better first-line contact treatment, better follow-up treatment of regular patients with chronic AD, and a better understanding of individualized AD treatment plans.
“Because each patient’s situation is unique, individualization of treatment plans is critical as is efficient communication and implementation of the plan with patients and caregivers,” Eichenfield and colleagues wrote. – by David Costill
Disclosure: The meeting that generated this review article was funded by Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Eichenfield reports numerous financial disclosures unrelated to this article. Please see the full article for a list of all other authors’
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