RESUMO
BACKGROUND: A recent survey on dermatology outpatients, which assessed their knowledge and behavior for topical steroid use, showed that topical steroids were often used without sufficient information or guidelines. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to evaluate the general pattern of which dermatologists prescribe topical steroids, the prevalence of topical steroid phobia among the dermatology outpatients and the way dermatologists managed such patients. METHODS: 236 dermatologists, including those in private clinics and those in the secondary and tertiary hospitals, were asked via mail or e-mail to fill in a questionnaire on their topical steroid prescription. RESULTS: About sixty percent of the total respondents answered that they prescribed topical steroid to more than half of their outpatients, with excluding those patients who came to the office for cosmetic purposes. Most respondents informed their patients about their prescription of topical steroids (85.61%), they explained the mechanism of its action and the clinical effects (65%), the potency and duration of application (70%), and the side effects (82%). But most respondents forgot or did not tell their patients about their steroid formulation (46%), the optimal amount to apply (74%) and the means and duration of optimal storage (82%). 45% of the respondents assumed that more than half of the outpatients to have topical steroid phobia. Yet 80% of the respondents replied that less than 10% of their outpatients had experienced side effects of topical steroids. 73% of the respondents in private clinics and 62% in secondary and tertiary hospitals were influenced by the patients' negative attitude on topical steroid prescription. CONCLUSION: The results show that the information on topical steroids, in terms of formulation, the optimal amounts to apply and the means and duration of optimal storage, were not sufficiently provided by dermatologists. The topical steroid phobia of patients has been exaggerated despite the low incidence of side effects.