Unmet needs in atopic dermatitis management: an expert consensus

Introduction Atopic dermatitis (AD) has substantial negative impact on patients' quality of life. Although considerable advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis and its treatment, there is still limited transfer of this knowledge into daily management. Aiming to identify unmet needs in clinical management of patients with AD, we used a Delphi consensus process. Methods A set of statements regarding diagnosis, management, prognosis, and treatment was identified by five experts (Steering Committee). Then, the Steering Committee and a second group of four clinicians were involved in a Delphi process. Lastly, agreement was assessed in a larger panel of Italian clinicians. Results Overall, 37 clinicians participated to the process. 17 statements reached strong agreement and 2 reached weak agreement. Conclusions In general, the statements reflected the need for accurate and effective diagnostic criteria to support clinical experience, especially in the atypical forms of AD. Moreover, prognostic criteria are needed to predict the duration of adult-onset AD. The identification of biomarkers was considered to be useful for clinical management of AD at all stages of disease. Lastly, greater emphasis should be placed on patient education and development of effective tools that can aid informing patients about their disease and its treatment.

Automated summary

A Delphi consensus process was used to identify unmet needs in the clinical management of atopic dermatitis (AD). Nearly 50 clinicians participated in the process and reached consensus on diagnosis, management, prognosis, and treatment. The overall findings emphasize the importance of accurate diagnostic criteria, prognostic criteria, and biomarkers in supporting clinical management of AD, as well as the need for greater patient education and development of effective tools.