Abstract

background

Lack of patient education is a potential cause of therapeutic failure in atopic eczema. This could be addressed through the delivery of educational support to the parents of children with eczema by practice-based pharmacists.

objectives

The present study examined whether an educational intervention by practice-based pharmacists improved both parental knowledge of atopic eczema management and disease-related outcomes.

methods

Parents of children with eczema received a single consultation and one follow-up appointment approximately four weeks later, with a practice-based pharmacist. Disease severity was assessed using the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) and parental knowledge with the modified Person-Centred Dermatology Self-Care Index (PEDESI). The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the POEM score and the secondary outcome the corresponding change in PEDESI scores.

results

A total of 52 children with a mean age of 39.8 months (46.3% girls) were recruited. All 52 provided baseline, and 27 provided follow-up POEM scores. Baseline and follow-up PEDESI scores were available for 35 and 24 parents respectively. The mean POEM score was 11.37 (95% CI 8.71 – 14.02) at baseline and 9.92 (95% CI 7.10 – 12.76) at follow-up, representing a non-significant reduction (p = 0.092). The mean baseline PEDESI score was 17.31 (95% CI 15.29 – 19.33) and significantly increased to 26.48 (95% CI 24.92 – 28.03) at follow-up (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Despite a non-significant decrease in POEM score, parental knowledge of eczema management improved significantly, warranting further studies with a large patient/parent cohort to better understand the value of educational support delivered by practice-based pharmacists.