ReportPatients' perceptions of the usefulness and outcome of patch testing
Section snippets
Methods
After the study was approved by our institutional review board, 1500 consecutive patients who had undergone patch testing at one of the Mayo Clinic sites (Jacksonville, Fla; Rochester, Minn; or Scottsdale, Ariz) were selected to receive a survey by mail. This group consisted of patients who had been tested to the standard series between December 16, 2002, and September 30, 2004. A total of 47 patients were excluded because they were pediatric patients, were deceased, or had refused research
Results
Of the 1453 surveys sent, 757 were returned (response rate 52.1%); 621 were never returned; 64 refused the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act form; and 11 either did not think the survey applied to them or filled out the survey but failed to sign the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act form. The mean time between patch testing and survey completion was 13.4 ± 6.5 months. Mean age at the time of the survey was 59.5 ± 16.0 years (range: 18.6-94.1 years); 518
Discussion
In this study, we found that patients were, in general, satisfied with the patch-testing process, that their skin improved after patch testing, and that they could recall more than 50% of allergens identified during the patch-testing process.
It was interesting that patients were so satisfied with the process of patch testing, because it is a time-consuming (5 days) and labor-intensive process. We were pleased that more than three fourths of the patients who responded to our survey were at least
Limitations
Our study had limitations as seen with any survey, such as reporting bias; patients who are very pleased or very angry may be more likely to respond. In addition, patients may interpret the questions in many ways. However, our survey is strengthened by the large number of respondents (757 patients, 52%), all of who had had a uniform experience of patch testing during a defined time period (almost 2 years). A further limitation of this study was that it was not pretested. It also did not address
Conclusion
Our study supports previous reports that patch testing is perceived by patients as a valuable tool that positively affects their dermatitis. However, this study also illustrates that many identified allergens are forgotten by patients after patch testing.
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Cited by (26)
The Importance of Education When Patch Testing
2020, Dermatologic ClinicsCitation Excerpt :One tip to increase actionability is to help the patient choose 1 item from each category they will need to replace. There is evidence that using a safe list increases the odds of successful avoidance of culprit allergens.28–30 Another potential benefit is that it has been shown to save counseling time at the final patch test reading.31
Relevance and Avoidance of Skin-Care Product Allergens: Pearls and Pitfalls
2009, Dermatologic ClinicsCitation Excerpt :Studies suggest that early patch testing also improves quality of life in patients with chronic ACD.5 Furthermore, patch testing is a safe and effective process, and most patients perceive a benefit in skin treatment.6 From the outset of discussing the performance of patch testing, patients should be counseled that the testing may not reveal a specific allergen as the cause of their dermatitis.
About the Need and the Future of Eczema Units
2018, Actas Dermo-Sifiliograficas
Funding sources: None.
Conflicts of interest: None declared.