Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Aug;14(8):2195-2208.
doi: 10.1007/s13555-024-01232-x. Epub 2024 Jul 15.

Bridging the Gap: Comparing Patient-Clinician Views on Treatment Goals and Communication in the Management of Atopic Dermatitis Within the Asia-Pacific Region

Chia-Yu Chu  1 , Yung Chan  2 , Siriwan Wananukul  3 , Hao Cheng  4 , Nisha Suyien Chandran  5 , Ramesh Bhat  6 , Sang Wook Son  7 , Han-Fang Liao  8 , Sean Gardiner  9 , See-Hwee Yeo  10 , Sophie Bozhi Chen  10 , Qi Qing Ng  10 , Yoko Kataoka  11
Affiliations

Bridging the Gap: Comparing Patient-Clinician Views on Treatment Goals and Communication in the Management of Atopic Dermatitis Within the Asia-Pacific Region

Chia-Yu Chu et al. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: It remains unclear how patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and clinicians perceive the level of patient-clinician communication and if there could be potential lapses. This cross-sectional study aims to compare perspectives between patients with AD and dermatologists regarding communication and treatment expectations in Asia.

Methods: Moderate-to-severe patients with AD and practicing dermatologists were recruited from eight Asia-Pacific territories, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Patients and dermatologists completed separate surveys designed to elicit their expectations regarding AD management, and their perceived level of patient-clinician communication. Patients were also asked about their treatment satisfaction and whether they prefer additional treatment beyond what was prescribed. Demographic information and responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study was reviewed by the institutional review board in each territory, and all participants provided informed consent.

Results: A total of 1103 patients and 271 dermatologists completed the surveys. Both patients and dermatologists were largely aligned in their top treatment goals in AD management. However, greater proportions of patients prioritized the prevention of exacerbation (78.0% versus 47.2%), minimization of treatment adverse effects (46.4% versus 9.1%), and improvement in mental health (16.0% versus 4.9%), compared with dermatologists. Although patient-clinician communication was observed to be generally good, 10.9% of patients reported dissatisfaction with communication in AD management. The majority of patients were either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their latest acute AD treatment, but 65.5% of patients still desired additional treatment.

Conclusions: This multinational study has provided insights on the perspectives of Asian patients and dermatologists in treatment goals, AD management, and communication. In general, both patients and dermatologists were aligned in treatment goals and there was satisfactory patient-clinician communication in most aspects. However, potential areas of improvement have been identified to further enhance patient-centered care.

Keywords: Asia; Atopic dermatitis; Cross-sectional; Dermatologist; Eczema; Patient-centered care; Patient-clinician communication; Real-world; Survey; Treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

H.-F.L. and S.G. are employees of Pfizer. Y.K. has received lecturer honoraria from Sanofi, AbbVie, Pfizer, and Maruho and research funding from Sanofi, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Maruho, Lilly, AbbVie, Otsuka, Taiho, and Amgen. Y.C. is a speaker for AbbVie, Bioderma, Galderma, Inova, Eli Lily, Lumenis, Menarini, and Pfizer; an advisory board member for AbbVie, Bayer, Bioderma, CeraVe, Eli Lilly, Menarini, Pfizer, Sanofi, Quanta System, and Janssen. C.-Y.C. is an investigator for AbbVie, Amgen, Dermira, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Oneness Biotech, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Roche, and Sanofi; a consultant for AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Sanofi; a speaker for AbbVie, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Mylan, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and Viatris; and an advisory board member for AbbVie, Amgen, Mylan, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and Viatris. All other authors have no conflict of interest. Nisha Suyien Chandran has received fees for participation in advisory boards from AbbVie, Johnson and Johnson, Sanofi, Pfizer, DKSH, L’Oreal, and Novartis; investigator fees for clinical trials from AbbVie, Novartis, Amgen, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim; and speaker honoraria from Galderma, Johnson and Johnson, LEO, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Lion Corporation.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Top 3 treatment goals in atopic dermatitis management
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nutten S. Atopic dermatitis: global epidemiology and risk factors. Ann Nutr Metab. 2015;66(Suppl. 1):8–16. 10.1159/000370220 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carroll CL, Balkrishnan R, Feldman SR, Fleischer AB Jr, Manuel JC. The burden of atopic dermatitis: impact on the patient, family, and society. Pediatr Dermatol. 2005;22(3):192–9. 10.1111/j.1525-1470.2005.22303.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Drucker AM, Wang AR, Li W-Q, Sevetson E, Block JK, Qureshi AA. The burden of atopic dermatitis: summary of a report for the National Eczema Association. J Investig Dermatol. 2017;137(1):26–30. 10.1016/j.jid.2016.07.012 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tsai TF, Rajagopalan M, Chu CY, Encarnacion L, Gerber RA, Santos-Estrella P, et al. Burden of atopic dermatitis in Asia. J Dermatol. 2019;46(10):825–34. 10.1111/1346-8138.15048 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chu H, Shin JU, Park CO, Lee H, Lee J, Lee KH. Clinical diversity of atopic dermatitis: a review of 5000 patients at a single institute. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2017;9(2):158–68. 10.4168/aair.2017.9.2.158 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources