Development of a Clinical Pathway for Atopic Dermatitis Patients: A Case-Based Approach.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic skin condition, associated with significant patient morbidity. There are a myriad of excellent evidenced based guidelines to guide clinicians by an extensive review of all the available treatments. However, while well written and complete these papers may not always allow easy transition to clinical application. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper was to develop a practical case-based approach for the treatment and maintenance of AD, enabling translation of guidelines into clinical care. METHODS: After literature searches, selected AD trials and recent existing guidelines were reviewed. Using a nominal group process for consensus, an expert panel of Canadian dermatologists determined the case features and corresponding treatments. RESULTS: A patient focused clinical pathway with 7 cases was developed. For each case scenario, treatment for mild, moderate, and severe disease was recommended. CONCLUSION: A practical case-based clinical pathway was developed for easy clinical application and optimal patient care. J Drugs Dermatol. 2016;15(12):1485-1494.

Pain management in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, and painful inflammatory disease. HS patients' quality of life is severely impaired, and this impairment correlates strongly with their pain. Pain in HS can be acute or chronic and has both inflammatory and noninflammatory origins. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of the existing literature regarding pain management in patients with HS. While there are no formal studies investigating pain management in HS, existing recommendations are based on general pain guidelines and expert opinion. Documentation of pain requires an assessment of the severity and timing of the pain. Although anti-inflammatory drugs and surgery for HS can alleviate pain, adjunctive pain medications are typically necessary. Topical analgesics, oral acetaminophen, and oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are considered first-line agents for the treatment of pain in patients with HS. If pain management is ineffective with those agents, oral opiates can be considered. In addition, anticonvulsants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors possess neuropathic pain-relieving properties that offer not only control of HS-associated pain but beneficial effects on itch and depression. There is clearly a need for additional studies on pain management in patients with HS.