How has the COVID‐19 pandemic affected eczema self‐management and help seeking? A qualitative interview study with young people and parents/carers of children with eczema

Abstract

Background Eczema can have a considerable impact on quality of life. Treatments can improve this, but management is complex. Barriers to eczema self‐management may be impacted upon by environmental context, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. Objectives To explore experiences of eczema, self‐management, and accessing healthcare and advice during the COVID‐19 pandemic among young people with eczema and parents/carers of children with eczema. Methods Qualitative semi‐structured interviews were carried out with 36 participants recruited from general practices as part of randomised controlled trials of online eczema resources. Results Changes to everyday life— Periods of staying at home due to the pandemic alter the burden of eczema, with reports of an improved routine and application of topical treatments for many, but difficulties with handwashing for others. Parents/carers reported improved eczema control due to closures of educational settings. Young people reported higher stress that may have triggered eczema flare‐ups. Changes to access to advice and treatment— There was a reluctance to seek medical appointments in a non‐emergency situation. Participants reported a lack of trust in the outcome of telephone consultations because health professionals were unable to see or feel the skin. Delays or difficulties when obtaining appointments and treatments caused frustration. Access to an online eczema resource was reported to have extra value in the context of the pandemic. Conclusion Changes to lifestyle and access to healthcare during the pandemic have affected eczema and self‐management. Healthcare settings may want to consider providing extra reassurance around remote consultations.

Publication Trends of Qualitative Research in Dermatology

“…Figure 1 shows the PRISMA flow diagram of the selection criteria. A total of 1398 studies were screened, and 249 studies (17.8%) were ultimately included in the database …”

Eczema Care Online behavioural interventions to support self-care for children and young people: two independent, pragmatic, randomised controlled trials

“…Some of the recruitment and follow-up of participants in this study took place during the covid-19 pandemic. Qualitative research carried out during the trial suggested that this could have had both positive and negative impacts on participants’ eczema 43. For example, it may have made it harder for participants to access healthcare for some months during the study and to discuss or change their treatments in response to the intervention, although this lack of access may have improved engagement with the online toolkits.…”

“…Qualitative research carried out during the trial suggested that this could have had both positive and negative impacts on participants' eczema. 43 For example, it may have made it harder for participants to access healthcare for some months during the study and to discuss or change their treatments in response to the intervention, although this lack of access may have improved engagement with the online toolkits. In some contexts, the effectiveness of online interventions has been shown to be enhanced by health professional support, and this was tested in a feasibility study before this trial.…”

“I have travelled along on my own”—Experiences of seeking help for serious non‐COVID health problems during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative study

“…However, neither survey provided in‐depth insight into factors influencing people's decisions. To date, a small number of qualitative studies have explored help‐seeking during the COVID‐19 pandemic, but only included patients with specific health conditions (Ferry et al, 2021 (coronary heart disease); Steele et al, 2021 (eczema)).…”