An article published inJAAD assessed the evidence from the 2018 Cochrane systematic review on using probiotics to treat eczema.
[What is the path forward for treating children with severe AD with dupilumab? Read more inDermWorld.]
At the conclusion of active probiotic treatment spanning six weeks to three months, the impact on eczema-related symptoms was slight to none as compared to no treatment with probiotics. Additionally, severity SCORAD symptoms, including itch and sleep loss ratings, showed mild improvement after probiotics treatment. Probiotics were not significantly associated with differences in validated quality of life measures or risks of adverse events. Overall, the authors state that extensive heterogeneity of results and moderate-to-low quality of evidence limited the generalizability of findings and suggests the present use of probiotics for eczema treatment may not be evidence-based, corroborating recent guideline recommendations.
A burgeoning style of dermatologic care that combines traditional medicine with evidence-based alternatives is taking shape. Read more inDermWorld.
DermWorld Insights and Inquiries: Tarrying for tapinarof
Today we held our first round of interviews for our dermatology residency program for 2023. Meeting dermatology resident applicants is a delight — they are brilliant, engaging, and a source of pride for our discipline. We started our program at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in 1995, the year most candidates were born. This generation will learn to treat psoriatic patients in ways that were unimaginable when I ran the Psoriasis Day Care Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1983. I now experience joyful incredulity about how our most severely afflicted patients who would have failed to respond to the most aggressive treatments of that era have the chance of a PASI 100 with just a few injections of the newest biologics. Keep reading!
Derm Coding Consult: Patch testing unit of service reduction averted
In 2021, two Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), First Coast Service Options (FCSO) and Novitas Solutions, published proposed Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) with recommendations to reduce the skin patch testing units for allergic and other contact dermatitis from 80 to 65 units. After a combined effort by the Academy and others, both carriers now allow 80 units of skin patch testing, although there are some policy limitations that must be adhered to. Read more about the policy limitations.
Research gap years may impact successful dermatology match
According to an article published in theInternational Journal of Dermatology,taking a research gap year may impact students looking to match with dermatology residency programs. Among 236 applicants to dermatology residency, 90 took a gap year during medical school to complete a year-long research fellowship.
While there was no difference in overall match rates, students who completed a research gap year were more likely to match into top residency programs. Also, gap-year applicants had twice as many publications as non–gap-year applicants. Nearly 18% of gap-year applicants matched at the program where they completed their research year, although the authors caution applicants to weigh the opportunity costs before pursing gap years as they may not be universally helpful.
Read about how to address the looming physician workforce shortage in DermWorld.
Patient satisfaction with live video telehealth declines
Patient satisfaction with live video visits dropped 10 percentage points from 2020 to 2021 — from 53% of Americans being more satisfied with live video than in-person interactions in 2020, to 43% saying the same in 2021, according to Rock Health’s Digital Health Consumer Adoption Survey. While live video visits experienced a dip in patient satisfaction, satisfaction with live phone calls jumped from 30% in 2020 to 33% in 2021. Additionally, satisfaction with asynchronous telehealth services grew from 41% last year to 54% in 2021.
While high-income earners and younger people were most likely to use telehealth in 2021, some changes in user demographics were noted. Non-white respondents were significantly more likely to use telemedicine than those who identified as white-only. Also, the urban-rural divide persists, with 80% of urban respondents using telehealth this year versus 60% of rural respondents.
Learn more about how a novel virus disrupted and transformed health care delivery inDermWorld.
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