- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Real-World Evidence in Atopic Dermatitis: Patient-Reported Outcomes and Topical Therapy Effectiveness
Experts discuss the challenges of managing atopic dermatitis in real-world clinical practice, highlighting access barriers due to insurance disparities, the need for creative solutions to provide effective care, and the importance of incorporating patient-reported outcomes to guide personalized treatment while balancing clinical and systemic constraints.
EP: 1.Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Challenges: Pediatric vs. Adult Patient Management and Healthcare Resource Utilization
EP: 2.Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Atopic Dermatitis: Diagnosis and Coordinated Care Strategies
EP: 3.Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis Education: Lifestyle Modifications and Topical Therapy Management
EP: 4.Navigating Available Topical Treatment Options for Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis
EP: 5.Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Selection: Biologics vs Nonsteroidal Topical Therapies
EP: 6.Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Breaks: Impact of Intermittent Topical Therapy on Pediatric Patient Outcomes
EP: 7.Real-World Evidence in Atopic Dermatitis: Patient-Reported Outcomes and Topical Therapy Effectiveness
In real-world clinical practice, managing atopic dermatitis presents many challenges, particularly when ideal treatments are not always accessible. Doctors often face barriers such as insurance restrictions and medication formularies that limit what therapies they can prescribe. This disparity is especially stark when comparing patients with commercial insurance to those relying on Medicaid or safety-net hospitals, where access to advanced or newer treatments can be significantly limited. As a result, physicians must creatively navigate these limitations—sometimes relying on pharmacy assistance programs or coupons—to provide patients with effective care, balancing ideal treatment plans with real-world constraints.
These access issues have broader consequences beyond individual symptom management. Patients with poorly controlled eczema frequently end up in emergency departments or urgent care centers for flares, which drives up health care costs and can disrupt a patient’s daily life, including school attendance and social development. Although biologics offer significant benefits for moderate to severe cases, they are expensive and often reserved for patients who have exhausted other options. Providers emphasize that systemic treatments should be introduced thoughtfully after trials of safer, less costly topicals, especially in children. The need to control disease effectively while minimizing treatment burden is a constant balancing act shaped by both clinical and systemic factors.
Assessing treatment success goes beyond visual improvement of the skin. Patient-reported outcomes, including measures of itch severity, sleep disturbance, and overall quality of life, are crucial to understanding the true impact of the disease. Tools such as the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure help clinicians capture daily experiences and guide treatment decisions. These measures are especially important for children and adolescents, where eczema can lead to psychological effects such as anxiety and social withdrawal. Ultimately, integrating clinical findings with patient and family feedback allows for more personalized and effective management of this complex chronic condition.
