Fellow
Stephanie Lee, MD
University of California, San Diego
Rady Children’s Hospital
Mentor
Lawrence Eichenfield, MD
University of California, San Diego
Rady Children’s Hospital
Overview
Topical corticosteroids are the first-line treatment for acute flares of atopic dermatitis, the most common chronic inflammatory dermatologic condition affecting children. Despite evidence of its efficacy, topical corticosteroids are often underutilized by patients leading to subpar therapeutic results. Treatment non-adherence may be due to a variety of factors, including steroid phobia, a lack of full understanding of the regimen, prescriber/family communication issues, and non-specific recommendations about how to utilize medications for both acute and long-term care.
The proposed research project will help establish the clinical efficacy of the topical steroid volume calculator, with hopes that the utilization of the calculator will improve clinical outcomes of patients with atopic dermatitis by providing standardized volumes tailored to each patient. This will be a multi-center project, starting with two centers initially, and with the goal of three to five centers. The calculator is being incorporated into a standardized electronic medical record for ease of use by providers to give clear patient instructions (EPIC). As a result, it can help providers communicate better to their patients specifically how much topical corticosteroids to use to treat
acute flares of atopic dermatitis.
Status
This project was funded through a 2020 PeDRA Research Fellowship Grant.