Ann Dermatol.  2014 Feb;26(1):66-72. 10.5021/ad.2014.26.1.66.

An Educational Program That Contributes to Improved Patient and Parental Understanding of Atopic Dermatitis

• Shin JY
• Kim DW
• Park CW
• Seo SJ
• Park YL
• Lee JR
• Kim MB
• Kim KH
• Ro YS
• Cho SH

• KMID: 2265699
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5021/ad.2014.26.1.66

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Providing an educational program as part of a health care program for the management of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients has rapidly become popular. AD educational programs can be of benefit in measured outcomes for both dermatology specialists and patients.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of programmed education delivered by dermatology specialists on the management and knowledge of AD, we assessed the effectiveness of patient/parental education at improving AD knowledge, and determined the usefulness of the education.
METHODS
The program consisted of five, 20-minutes sessions which were prepared, discussed, reviewed, and delivered by professors of dermatology. At the end of the program, AD knowledge was assessed using a standardized questionnaire. A total of 148 people were included. Fifty-eight patients/parents received the programmed education and the remaining 90 did not receive the programmed education.
RESULTS
The mean questionnaire scores from both groups were compared. Mean knowledge scores were significantly higher for those who received the education (p=0.00). We analyzed the knowledge score according to factors such as gender, education level, marital status, and occupation. The data indicated that education level influences the subjects' knowledge level of AD, but gender, occupation, and marital status do not.
CONCLUSION
An educational program can be an effective tool to improve patient quality of life and treatment compliance by providing psychological support to the patients and their parents.

Keyword

Atopic dermatitis; Education; Questionnaires

MeSH Terms

Compliance
Delivery of Health Care
Dermatitis, Atopic*
Dermatology
Education
Humans
Marital Status
Occupations
Parents*
Quality of Life
Specialization
Surveys and Questionnaires

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The mean knowledge scores in the control and intervention groups (p=0.00). †p<0.005.

• 

  Fig. 2 The mean knowledge scores in the control and intervention groups according to gender. *p<0.05, †p<0.005.

• 

  Fig. 3 The mean knowledge scores in the control and intervention groups according to marital status. *p<0.05, †p<0.005.

• 

  Fig. 4 The mean scores in the intervention group and control group according to education level. *p<0.05, †p<0.005.

• 

  Fig. 5 The mean scores in the intervention group and control group according to occupation. *p<0.05, †p<0.005.

Reference

1. Annesi-Maesano I, Mourad C, Daures JP, Kalaboka S, Godard P. Time trends in prevalence and severity of childhood asthma and allergies from 1995 to 2002 in France. Allergy. 2009; 64:798–800.

2. Eichenfield LF, Hanifin JM, Beck LA, Lemanske RF Jr, Sampson HA, Weiss ST, et al. Atopic dermatitis and asthma: parallels in the evolution of treatment. Pediatrics. 2003; 111:608–616.

3. Foley P, Zuo Y, Plunkett A, Marks R. The frequency of common skin conditions in preschool-age children in Australia: atopic dermatitis. Arch Dermatol. 2001; 137:293–300.

4. Larsen FS, Hanifin JM. Epidemiology of atopic dermatitis. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2002; 22:1–24.

5. Johnston GA, Bilbao RM, Graham-Brown RA. The use of complementary medicine in children with atopic dermatitis in secondary care in Leicester. Br J Dermatol. 2003; 149:566–571.

6. Cork MJ, Britton J, Butler L, Young S, Murphy R, Keohane SG. Comparison of parent knowledge, therapy utilization and severity of atopic eczema before and after explanation and demonstration of topical therapies by a specialist dermatology nurse. Br J Dermatol. 2003; 149:582–589.

7. Staab D, von Rueden U, Kehrt R, Erhart M, Wenninger K, Kamtsiuris P, et al. Evaluation of a parental training program for the management of childhood atopic dermatitis. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2002; 13:84–90.

8. Ben-Gashir MA, Seed PT, Hay RJ. Quality of life and disease severity are correlated in children with atopic dermatitis. Br J Dermatol. 2004; 150:284–290.

9. Atherton DJ, Sewell M, Soothill JF, Wells RS, Chilvers CE. A double-blind controlled crossover trial of an antigen-avoidance diet in atopic eczema. Lancet. 1978; 1:401–403.

10. Neild VS, Marsden RA, Bailes JA, Bland JM. Egg and milk exclusion diets in atopic eczema. Br J Dermatol. 1986; 114:117–123.

11. Mabin DC, Sykes AE, David TJ. Controlled trial of a few foods diet in severe atopic dermatitis. Arch Dis Child. 1995; 73:202–207.

12. Oranje AP, de Waard-van der Spek FB. Atopic dermatitis and diet. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2000; 14:437–438.

13. Smith SD, Hong E, Fearns S, Blaszczynski A, Fischer G. Corticosteroid phobia and other confounders in the treatment of childhood atopic dermatitis explored using parent focus groups. Australas J Dermatol. 2010; 51:168–174.

14. Brown KL, Krejci-Manwaring J, Tusa MG, Camacho F, Fleischer AB Jr, Balkrishnan R, et al. Poor compliance with topical corticosteroids for atopic dermatitis despite severe disease. Dermatol Online J. 2008; 14:13.

15. Chamlin SL, Frieden IJ, Williams ML, Chren MM. Effects of atopic dermatitis on young American children and their families. Pediatrics. 2004; 114:607–611.

16. Armstrong AW, Kim RH, Idriss NZ, Larsen LN, Lio PA. Online video improves clinical outcomes in adults with atopic dermatitis: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011; 64:502–507.

17. Moore EJ, Williams A, Manias E, Varigos G, Donath S. Eczema workshops reduce severity of childhood atopic eczema. Australas J Dermatol. 2009; 50:100–106.

18. Roehr B. Trend for US patients to seek health information from media and internet is stalling. BMJ. 2011; 343:d7738.

19. Broberg A, Kalimo K, Lindblad B, Swanbeck G. Parental education in the treatment of childhood atopic eczema. Acta Derm Venereol. 1990; 70:495–499.

20. Beattie PE, Lewis-Jones MS. Parental knowledge of topical therapies in the treatment of childhood atopic dermatitis. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2003; 28:549–553.

21. Hughes R, Ward D, Tobin AM, Keegan K, Kirby B. The use of alternative medicine in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis. Pediatr Dermatol. 2007; 24:118–120.

22. Artik S, Ruzicka T. Complementary therapy for atopic eczema and other allergic skin diseases. Dermatol Ther. 2003; 16:150–163.

23. Chin HW, Jang HS, Jang BS, Jo JH, Kim MB, Oh CK, et al. A study on utilization of alternative medicine for patients with atopic dermatitis. Korean J Dermatol. 2005; 43:903–911.

24. Jensen P. Use of alternative medicine by patients with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Acta Derm Venereol. 1990; 70:421–424.

25. Hauk PJ. The role of food allergy in atopic dermatitis. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2008; 8:188–194.

26. Chong SJ, Kim KH, Kim DW, Kim SJ, Kim IJ, Kim CW, et al. Report from ADRG: a study on the clinical manifestations of childhood atopic dermatitis in Korea. Korean J Dermatol. 2005; 43:1497–1509.

27. Shin HJ, Yoon SM, Oh SY, Oh JK. The analysis of the present status of the medical internet sites in Korea. J Korean Acad Fam Med. 2000; 21:792–800.

28. Kwon HJ, Kim YJ, Park SB, Yu DS, Kim JW. Study of atopic dermatitis information on the internet in Korea. Korean J Dermatol. 2006; 44:137–140.