Dermatology workforce in the United States - Part I: Overview, transformations, and implications.

The dermatology workforce continues to evolve to meet the growing and diversified demands of the US population. Part 1 of this continuing medical education series is designed to provide an overview of the dermatology workforce as well as delineate the motivators and socioeconomic implications of significant workforce transformations which are impacting dermatologic health care. Part 2 of the series will consider the impact of workforce challenges on patient outcomes and discuss potential actions that may help to optimize workforce organization and care delivery.

Practitioner assessment of mental health in dermatologic disease.

Patients with certain dermatologic skin diseases have been found to be at increased risk for depression and suicidal ideation. As there is not much information available on mental health interventions taken in dermatologic practices, we conducted a survey to assess the extent to which dermatologists monitor and follow up with the mental health of their patients. We discovered that dermatologists are aware of mental health issues associated with these dermatologic diseases but have no standard of care for their assessment. By obtaining this information, we can enable ourselves to fill in these deficiencies to help improve patient care.

Quantitative skin assessment using spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) in patients with or at high risk for pressure ulcers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pressure ulcers (PU) are a significant problem facing the health system in the United States. Here, we present preliminary case studies demonstrating feasibility of Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI) to assess skin status in high-risk populations and pre-existing wounds. SFDI is a wide-field non-contact optical imaging technology that uses structured light to obtain tissue optical properties and of tissue constituents. This study aims to determine the fit of SFDI for PU care and determine the next steps. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients at risk for pressure ulcers were imaged using a near-infrared SFDI system. SFDI-derived images of tissue function (tissue hemoglobin, tissue oxygen saturation) and structure (tissue scattering) were then compared to each other as well as a blinded dermatologist's clinical impressions. RESULTS: Four case series were chosen to demonstrate the imaging capability of this technology. The first scenario demonstrates normal skin of three patients without skin breakdown with spatially uniform measures of tissue oxygen saturation, scattering, and blood volume. The second scenario demonstrates a stage II PU; the third case shows non-blanchable erythema of an unstageable PU; a fourth scenario is a clinically indistinguishable skin rash versus early stages of a PU. In all these cases, we observe spatial changes in tissue constituents (decrease in tissue oxygen saturation, increased blood pooling, decreased scattering). CONCLUSION: We have presented the first use of SFDI for pressure ulcer imaging and staging. This preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of this optical technology to assess tissue oxygen saturation and blood volume status in a quantitative manner. With the proposed improvements in modeling and hardware, SFDI has potential to provide a means for pressure ulcer risk stratification, healing and staging. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:827-834, 2017 © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Wound dressing absorption: a comparative study.

The purpose of this study was to compare absorption properties of a variety of wound dressing products that are available on the market. A simple, inexpensive method of evaluation was utilized so that new dressings could easily be tested and added to the data set.

US skin disease assessment: ulcer and wound care.

Chronic ulcers are a growing cause of patient morbidity and contribute significantly to the cost of health care in the United States. The most common etiologies of chronic ulcers include venous leg ulcers (VLUs), pressure ulcers (PrUs), diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers (DFUs), and leg ulcers of arterial insufficiency. Chronic wounds account for an estimated $6 to $15 billion annually in US health care costs; however, it is difficult to get accurate measurements on this, because these patients are often seen in a variety of settings or simply fail to access the health care system.

Patient-reported outcomes and health-care resource utilization in patients with psoriasis treated with etanercept: continuous versus interrupted treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The 24-week Etanercept Assessment of Safety and Effectiveness (EASE) study evaluated the effectiveness and tolerability of continuous versus interrupted etanercept treatment in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The objective of this analysis was to assess patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and health-care resource utilization (HRU) data from the EASE study. METHODS: Patients received open-label etanercept 50 mg twice weekly for 12 weeks and then received either continued or interrupted (single round of discontinuation and re-treatment with etanercept) etanercept 50 mg once weekly for the second 12 weeks. PROs included the following: 1) the patient global assessments of psoriasis, joint pain, and itching scores; 2) the Dermatology Life Quality Index; 3) the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 vitality domain; 4) the Beck Depression Inventory; 5) the European Quality-of-Life Group Feeling Thermometer; and 6) a patient satisfaction survey. HRU was evaluated using the Economic Implications of Psoriasis patient questionnaire. RESULTS: Continuous treatment with etanercept 50 mg twice weekly for 12 weeks followed by 50 mg once weekly for 12 weeks produced sustained and clinically important improvements in PROs and reductions in HRU. Reductions in some outcome measures after treatment discontinuation at week 12 were observed in the interrupted group; however, most changes did not revert to baseline levels, consistent with some residual clinical effect, and re-treatment produced improvements similar to week 12 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous etanercept treatment provided greater sustained improvements in PROs than interrupted therapy; however, interrupting etanercept therapy, if needed, has predictable and manageable effects.