Atopic dermatitis quality of care initiative: The impact of ehealth on atopic dermatitis care

ABSTRACT

Background: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) can result in intolerable symptoms, psychological hardships, and stigmatization that affect patient quality of life. Allergic comorbidities may be overlooked by both healthcare providers and patients;emphasizing the importance of allergist referral. The Atopic Dermatitis Quality of Care (ADQoC) Initiative seeks to demonstrate the global imperative for quality AD care, by identifying primary challenges and reporting good practice intervention solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the positive impact of eHealth in the delivery of care, including allergy care, as a potential good practice intervention for AD. Method: A literature review was conducted to establish a foundation of challenges to AD care. In-depth site visits, performed at thirty-two select international centers, documented challenges to, and examples of, leading AD care. Results: eHealth is a reported good practice intervention to the challenges in AD care including allergy complications. eHealth, along with mHealth and teleHealth, provide opportunities to improve the quality and efficiency of AD care. eHealth provides greater access to care, specifically to patients who otherwise may not be able to access it due to obstacles such as travel distance or financial difficulties. eHealth also benefits dermatologists, allergists, and other AD care providers who can collaborate more easily due to the readily available resources within eHealth platforms. TeleHealth and information sharing through eHealth allows patients to benefit from care afforded by centers that incorporate multi-disciplinary care teams and patient education. Some centers use local databases and patient registries to restructure patient assessment and improve care delivery. Smartphone applications such as Zalf (UMC, Utrecht) and Virtual Nurse (McGill UHC) are designed to improve assessment, care delivery, AD outcomes, and education. Mobile imaging can also improve AD assessment and speed treatment. Conclusion: eHealth, mHealth, and teleHealth may be good practice interventions that improve AD assessment, better manage allergic complications, and provide better outcomes. The efficiency and convenience of eHealth delivers quicker service, reduces patient burden and simultaneously lessens time demands of healthcare providers. Such systems may be particularly useful during social distancing and additional demands on health care providers during COVID-19.