Patients' preferences for biopsy result notification in an era of electronic messaging methods.

Importance: Effective patient-physician communication is essential for optimal health care. Recent introduction of online patient portals to access test results are changing the communication landscape, but regulatory guidelines for the online release of biopsy results vary from state to state.

Objectives: To assess patient preferences for receiving skin biopsy results to rule out melanoma and to compare those preferences to current physicians' practices for notification.

Compassionate care: enhancing physician-patient communication and education in dermatology: Part II: Patient education.

Patient education is a fundamental part of caring for patients. A practice gap exists, where patients want more information, while health care providers are limited by time constraints or difficulty helping patients understand or remember. To provide patient-centered care, it is important to assess the needs and goals, health beliefs, and health literacy of each patient.

Compassionate care: enhancing physician-patient communication and education in dermatology: Part I: Patient-centered communication.

The motivation for developing patient-centered communication stems from a desire to enhance the quality of patient care, fulfill professional competency requirements, reduce medical errors, and improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction. Patient-centered communication skills can optimize the physician-patient relationship without significantly prolonging office visits. We propose a series of practical and generally effective techniques for verbal and nonverbal communication.

A prospective, interventional assessment of psoriasis quality of life using a nonskin-specific validated instrument that allows comparison with other major medical conditions.

Background: Psoriasis significantly impacts patients' quality of life.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the quality-of-life impact of treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis by using a validated quality-of-life psychometric instrument that has been widely used in nondermatologic settings.

Methods: In all, 32 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis received 24 weeks of adalimumab treatment.

Management of itch in atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is a common, pruritic, inflammatory skin disorder. Chronic, localized, or even generalized pruritus is the diagnostic hallmark of atopic dermatitis, and its management remains a challenge for physicians. The threshold for itch and alloknesis is markedly reduced in these patients, and infections can promote exacerbation and thereby increase the itch.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the efficacy of oral psoralen plus ultraviolet A for the treatment of plaque-type psoriasis using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index score (improvement of 75% or greater) at 12 weeks.

Background: Psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) for the treatment of psoriasis has never been evaluated using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The lack of such data limits our capacity to estimate PUVA's efficacy relative to other treatment options that are available today.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PUVA therapy for patients with plaque-type psoriasis.

Pilot evaluation of supra-erythemogenic phototherapy with excimer laser in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Background: Phototherapy is an effective treatment for generalized plaque psoriasis, but is inconvenient and dosimetry is limited by the minimal erythema dose (MED).

Objective: This pilot study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and feasibility of excimer laser utilizing a supra-erythemogenic phototherapy strategy (phototherapy well beyond the MED dose) to treat generalized psoriasis.

Methods: In this 9-month study, 13 patients with psoriasis involving > 10% but < 30% body surface area received laser treatment twice weekly for 12 weeks, with 6 months of post-treatment follow-up.

The psychosocial and occupational impact of chronic skin disease.

Chronic skin diseases, particularly psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, have a negative impact on patients' quality of life. Patients often experience significant psychological and social distress such as increased levels of depression and fear of stigma. Skin diseases can also impact patients' occupational lives by causing them to miss work or be less productive.