Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis

ABSTRACT Background Atopic dermatitis is the most common pediatric skin disorder in the United States. Literature consensus designates patient education as crucial in atopic dermatitis management. Local problem Representing Alabama's only pediatric dermatology clinic, the clinic at Children's of Alabama receives a disproportionate number of referrals. The volume impedes on the clinician's ability to provide comprehensive patient education for new referrals. Methods All new atopic dermatitis referrals, newborn to 5 years old, are scheduled between August 2, 2019, and October 25, 2019, for the pediatric dermatology nurse practitioner's weekly clinic. To complete the visit, the nurse practitioner customizes an eczema action plan to be individually reviewed by the dermatology nurse with the patient. Interventions Before the visit, caregivers complete the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure questionnaire to quantify eczema symptoms. They repeat this by phone 4–6 weeks later along with another Likert questionnaire measuring caregiver treatment confidence. Results Using SPSS Statistics 25 to analyze descriptive statistics, there was a statistically significant change in scores. Caregiver treatment confidence was uniformly high. Conclusion Improved atopic dermatitis symptoms and increased caregiver treatment confidence were observed after implementing nurse-led education with customized eczema action plans in new visits.