Performance Measures in Dermatologic Surgery: A Review of the Literature and Future Directions.

Background: In recent years, health care reform initiatives have aimed to assess quality of care through the use of performance measures. Multiple specialties, including dermatology, have implemented registries to track and report health care quality.

Objective: The authors review the history and rationale for assessing quality in dermatologic surgery.

Association of Postoperative Antibiotics With Surgical Site Infection in Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most frequent complication of Mohs micrographic surgery. Previous studies have identified risk factors for SSI, but it is not known whether antibiotic prophylaxis mitigates this risk.

Objective: To measure the association between antibiotic prophylaxis and SSI in a convenience sample of Mohs cases and to report on the utility of propensity scoring to control for confounding by indication in registry data.

Photosensitizing agents and the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer: a population-based case-control study.

Robinson et al. report a population-based case-control study to examine the association between a history of photosensitizing medication use and non-melanoma skin cancer. They report an increased risk of basal cell carcinoma with tetracycline use and of squamous cell carcinoma with diuretic use.

Development of Beau's lines in two patients receiving azathioprine.

We report two cases of patients who developed Beau's lines while taking azathioprine. In each case, the patient developed a hypersensitivity reaction to the medication. These are the first reported cases of a hypersensitivity reaction to azathioprine leading to Beau's lines.

Diabetic ketoacidosis associated with aripiprazole.

Metabolic adverse effects such as hyperglycemia, alterations in insulin sensitivity, and weight gain are known to be potential complications of atypical antipsychotic therapy. In certain cases, hyperglycemia may be so profound that diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperosmolar coma may result. Aripiprazole, approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2002, appears to have fewer metabolic adverse effects than other atypical antipsychotics.

Adherence to acitretin and home narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy in patients with psoriasis.

Background: In the treatment of psoriasis, patient adherence to oral medications is poor and even worse for topical therapy. However, few data exist about adherence rates to home phototherapy, adding to concerns about the appropriateness of home phototherapy as a psoriasis treatment option.

Objective: We sought to assess adherence to both oral acitretin and home ultraviolet B phototherapy for the treatment of psoriasis.