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Combined Pediatric Derm-Rheum Clinics Supported by Survey Respondents


 

TOPLINE:

Combined pediatric dermatology-rheumatology clinics can improve patient care and patient satisfaction, a survey of dermatologists suggested.

METHODOLOGY:

  • Combined pediatric dermatology-rheumatology clinics can improve patient outcomes and experiences, particularly for pediatric autoimmune conditions presenting with both cutaneous and systemic manifestations.
  • The researchers surveyed 208 pediatric dermatologists working in combined pediatric dermatology-rheumatology clinics.
  • A total of 13 member responses were recorded from three countries: 10 from the United States, two from Mexico, and one from Canada.

TAKEAWAY:

  • Perceived benefits of combined clinics were improved patient care through coordinated treatment decisions and timely communication between providers.
  • Patient satisfaction was favorable, and patients and families endorsed the combined clinic approach.
  • Barriers to clinic establishment included differences in the pace between dermatology and rheumatology clinic flow, the need to generate more relative value units, resistance from colleagues, and limited time.
  • Areas that needed improvement included more time for patient visits, dedicated research assistants, new patient referrals, additional patient rooms, resources for research, and patient care infrastructure.

IN PRACTICE:

The insights from this survey “will hopefully inspire further development of these combined clinics,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

The investigation, led by Olga S. Cherepakhin, BS, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, was published in Pediatric Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

Limitations included the subjective nature, lack of some information, selection bias, and small number of respondents, and the survey reflected the perspective of the pediatric dermatologists only.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. One author reported full-time employment at Janssen R&D, and the other authors had no disclosures.

A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.

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