American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Patch Testing and Allergic Dermatologic Disease Survey: use of patch testing and effect of education on confidence, attitude, and usage.

Background: The patch test is an important tool for the diagnosis of contact dermatitis. In the past few years, allergists have shown increased interest in the diagnosis of contact dermatitis and the use of patch testing.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine (1) the frequency of usage of the patch test among allergists, (2) the factors that affect the decision to patch test, and (3) the need for training the allergist to perform patch testing.