Supporting patients with eczema-introducing the TalkingEczema tool

摘要

Eczema is a very common and often distressing long-term skin condition, affecting one in five children and one in ten adults in the UK (Schofield et al, 2009).The majority of children and adults with eczema are treated in primary care and self-manage, so it is imperative that treatment plans can be systematically developed and address patient needs. Dermatology is not represented in current NHS outcome frameworks so, unlike asthma or diabetes, the majority of people with eczema in primary care receive limited structured management or support programmes. In secondary care, adults and children with severe eczema are cared for in dermatology departments, where an individualised care package is implemented. Secondary care nurses will also encounter more complex cases-for example, asthma patients in acute care or respiratory outpatients who also have eczema, and skin-care needs should be incorporated into their overall care. In primary care, practice nurses and nurse practitioners are experts in chronic-disease management, but people with skin conditions could really benefit from these skills being adapted to long-term dermatological conditions, such as eczema.