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Therapeutic patient education can help with adherence to treatment
, Andreas Wollenberg, MD, said at the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis symposium.
A major goal of patient education is increasing medication adherence, noted Dr. Wollenberg, professor in the department of dermatology and allergy at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Quoting former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, he said, “drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them.”
While this is a simple message, it is important, Dr. Wollenberg said, noting that there can be a gap between a physician’s well-intentioned message and how it is interpreted by the patient. “Our messages may not be heard, not understood, not accepted, and even if they are put into place, how long will they last?” he asked. “We need to find a way [to] place sticky messages in the brains of our patients who are sitting and interacting with us.”
One way to improve treatment adherence is through patient education, such as using a written action plan or graphics; simplifying treatment regimens; minimizing treatment costs; setting up reminder programs, early follow-up visits, and short-term treatment goals; and minimizing nocebo effects. “This is more than providing just leaflets to patients. It is a complete program. It is a holistic approach. It should be structured and should be interdisciplinary, and it should contain a psychological component,” Dr. Wollenberg said.
Therapeutic patient education is recommended at baseline for children and adults with moderate to severe AD in the 2020 European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis (ETFAD) and European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) position paper on the diagnosis and treatment of AD in adults and children, alongside other interventions, such as emollients, bath oils, and avoidance of clinically relevant allergens, noted Dr. Wollenberg, the first author . “Therapeutic patient education is an extremely helpful tool to address patient beliefs and questions regarding disease and treatment,” he and his coauthors wrote in the paper.
When considering a therapeutic patient education program for AD, content is key, but just as important is consideration of legal and cultural conditions in the local area, Dr. Wollenberg explained. Every country will need some degree of standardization of content, he noted. Clinicians interested in adopting a patient education program need to consider who will pay for it – patients, foundations, or insurance companies – as well as the time commitment needed.
Dr. Wollenberg said that his team uses an evidence-based education program for AD in Germany that works across patients with different personalities, with a multidisciplinary team that includes a dermatologist, a specialist nurse, a nutrition expert, and a psychologist. “Sometimes we replace the specialized nurse with the dermatology resident because, in Germany, it’s difficult to find any type of specialized nurse,” although this is not an issue in many other countries, he said.
The model for children involves six 90-minute sessions, which cover topics that include emollients and basic care, food allergies and diet, medical treatment, and psychology of itch. The program for adults involves six 2-hour sessions, which cover topics that include psychology, skin care/nutrition, and medical treatment.
While this education program improves adherence in patients with AD, he acknowledged it is time consuming, and may not work for people who live far away from a clinic or who have other time commitments, making an alternative format necessary.
In terms of improving patient adherence to a doctor’s recommendations regarding chronic skin disease, “we cannot change our patients, we cannot change the disease, but we can strongly influence the treatment that we choose and how we interact as physicians with our patients,” said Dr. Wollenberg.
“Therapeutic patient education is virtually free of side effects, but evidence based. Have a look [at] it and adapt it to your own practice,” he added.
Dr. Wollenberg is a consultant, speaker and receives fees from numerous pharmaceutical companies.
, Andreas Wollenberg, MD, said at the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis symposium.
A major goal of patient education is increasing medication adherence, noted Dr. Wollenberg, professor in the department of dermatology and allergy at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Quoting former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, he said, “drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them.”
While this is a simple message, it is important, Dr. Wollenberg said, noting that there can be a gap between a physician’s well-intentioned message and how it is interpreted by the patient. “Our messages may not be heard, not understood, not accepted, and even if they are put into place, how long will they last?” he asked. “We need to find a way [to] place sticky messages in the brains of our patients who are sitting and interacting with us.”
One way to improve treatment adherence is through patient education, such as using a written action plan or graphics; simplifying treatment regimens; minimizing treatment costs; setting up reminder programs, early follow-up visits, and short-term treatment goals; and minimizing nocebo effects. “This is more than providing just leaflets to patients. It is a complete program. It is a holistic approach. It should be structured and should be interdisciplinary, and it should contain a psychological component,” Dr. Wollenberg said.
Therapeutic patient education is recommended at baseline for children and adults with moderate to severe AD in the 2020 European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis (ETFAD) and European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) position paper on the diagnosis and treatment of AD in adults and children, alongside other interventions, such as emollients, bath oils, and avoidance of clinically relevant allergens, noted Dr. Wollenberg, the first author . “Therapeutic patient education is an extremely helpful tool to address patient beliefs and questions regarding disease and treatment,” he and his coauthors wrote in the paper.
When considering a therapeutic patient education program for AD, content is key, but just as important is consideration of legal and cultural conditions in the local area, Dr. Wollenberg explained. Every country will need some degree of standardization of content, he noted. Clinicians interested in adopting a patient education program need to consider who will pay for it – patients, foundations, or insurance companies – as well as the time commitment needed.
Dr. Wollenberg said that his team uses an evidence-based education program for AD in Germany that works across patients with different personalities, with a multidisciplinary team that includes a dermatologist, a specialist nurse, a nutrition expert, and a psychologist. “Sometimes we replace the specialized nurse with the dermatology resident because, in Germany, it’s difficult to find any type of specialized nurse,” although this is not an issue in many other countries, he said.
The model for children involves six 90-minute sessions, which cover topics that include emollients and basic care, food allergies and diet, medical treatment, and psychology of itch. The program for adults involves six 2-hour sessions, which cover topics that include psychology, skin care/nutrition, and medical treatment.
While this education program improves adherence in patients with AD, he acknowledged it is time consuming, and may not work for people who live far away from a clinic or who have other time commitments, making an alternative format necessary.
In terms of improving patient adherence to a doctor’s recommendations regarding chronic skin disease, “we cannot change our patients, we cannot change the disease, but we can strongly influence the treatment that we choose and how we interact as physicians with our patients,” said Dr. Wollenberg.
“Therapeutic patient education is virtually free of side effects, but evidence based. Have a look [at] it and adapt it to your own practice,” he added.
Dr. Wollenberg is a consultant, speaker and receives fees from numerous pharmaceutical companies.
, Andreas Wollenberg, MD, said at the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis symposium.
A major goal of patient education is increasing medication adherence, noted Dr. Wollenberg, professor in the department of dermatology and allergy at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Quoting former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, he said, “drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them.”
While this is a simple message, it is important, Dr. Wollenberg said, noting that there can be a gap between a physician’s well-intentioned message and how it is interpreted by the patient. “Our messages may not be heard, not understood, not accepted, and even if they are put into place, how long will they last?” he asked. “We need to find a way [to] place sticky messages in the brains of our patients who are sitting and interacting with us.”
One way to improve treatment adherence is through patient education, such as using a written action plan or graphics; simplifying treatment regimens; minimizing treatment costs; setting up reminder programs, early follow-up visits, and short-term treatment goals; and minimizing nocebo effects. “This is more than providing just leaflets to patients. It is a complete program. It is a holistic approach. It should be structured and should be interdisciplinary, and it should contain a psychological component,” Dr. Wollenberg said.
Therapeutic patient education is recommended at baseline for children and adults with moderate to severe AD in the 2020 European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis (ETFAD) and European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) position paper on the diagnosis and treatment of AD in adults and children, alongside other interventions, such as emollients, bath oils, and avoidance of clinically relevant allergens, noted Dr. Wollenberg, the first author . “Therapeutic patient education is an extremely helpful tool to address patient beliefs and questions regarding disease and treatment,” he and his coauthors wrote in the paper.
When considering a therapeutic patient education program for AD, content is key, but just as important is consideration of legal and cultural conditions in the local area, Dr. Wollenberg explained. Every country will need some degree of standardization of content, he noted. Clinicians interested in adopting a patient education program need to consider who will pay for it – patients, foundations, or insurance companies – as well as the time commitment needed.
Dr. Wollenberg said that his team uses an evidence-based education program for AD in Germany that works across patients with different personalities, with a multidisciplinary team that includes a dermatologist, a specialist nurse, a nutrition expert, and a psychologist. “Sometimes we replace the specialized nurse with the dermatology resident because, in Germany, it’s difficult to find any type of specialized nurse,” although this is not an issue in many other countries, he said.
The model for children involves six 90-minute sessions, which cover topics that include emollients and basic care, food allergies and diet, medical treatment, and psychology of itch. The program for adults involves six 2-hour sessions, which cover topics that include psychology, skin care/nutrition, and medical treatment.
While this education program improves adherence in patients with AD, he acknowledged it is time consuming, and may not work for people who live far away from a clinic or who have other time commitments, making an alternative format necessary.
In terms of improving patient adherence to a doctor’s recommendations regarding chronic skin disease, “we cannot change our patients, we cannot change the disease, but we can strongly influence the treatment that we choose and how we interact as physicians with our patients,” said Dr. Wollenberg.
“Therapeutic patient education is virtually free of side effects, but evidence based. Have a look [at] it and adapt it to your own practice,” he added.
Dr. Wollenberg is a consultant, speaker and receives fees from numerous pharmaceutical companies.
FROM RAD 2022