2017, Number 3
Effectiveness of an educational intervention in the treatment and management of children with atopic dermatitis and their families
Villegas FC, García MC, Caballero MF, Monge MD
Full text
Language: Spanish
References: 16
Page: 178-184
PDF size: 224.13 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Atopic dermatitis is a very common chronic disease in childhood; it has an unpredictable course. In the majority of children, it bears a significant impact on their quality of life, resulting in sleep disorders, irritability and reduced attention span in school. All these adversely affect both the patient’s life and that of his family, who see their routines and social activities altered by recurrent outbreaks of the disease. In addition, in most cases, the parents of the patients do not receive adequate information regarding the disease and its evolutionary course, often due to time constraints during consultations with health professionals (either dermatologists or pediatricians) caring for the patient with atopic dermatitis; the information obtained from other sources is often not accurate. All these cause the treatment dispensed by the parents to be incomplete or to be done incorrectly, and in the long term, result in an unnecessary increase in visits to the doctor or the emergency department. For five years (2011-15), we carried out educational workshops in our hospital for children suffering from atopic dermatitis and their families. This was an educational intervention to improve the quality of life of children suffering from atopic dermatitis. The goals of the study were to improve the understanding of the disease in children and their families, as well as the development and acquisition of recommended habits for the prevention of outbreaks of eczema, and to achieve greater autonomy in the managing of pruritus in pediatric patients. We also wanted to assess if increasing the knowledge and information of the parents and improving the management of the condition at home would reduce the number of medical consultations and, in turn, the medical expenses. We carried out an assessment 40-60 days after the intervention, via a survey, to assess the impact of the intervention and to evaluate the objectives pursued, with very satisfactory results in the improvement of the understanding of the disease, a decrease of the fear of using corticosteroids, and a decline of the number of medical consultations, as well as greater autonomy in the acquisition of hydration habits and reduction of scratching by the children.REFERENCES
Ricci G, Bendandi B, Aiazzi R, Patrizi A, Masi M. Three years of Italian experience of an educational program for parents of young children affected by atopic dermatitis: improving knowledge produces lower anxiety levels in parents of children with atopic dermatitis. Pediatr Dermatol. 2009; 26: 1-5.