eczpert

Eczema is very common but a condition which is far from simple to deal with. Although most people are familiar with its signs and symptoms, many are less familiar with the other aspects reviewed in this tutorial, including its incidence, pathology, causes, natural history, impact and significance for the NHS.

Although atopic eczema is the most commonly seen type, there are several other forms of eczema and closely related conditions which may be seen in the clinic. This tutorial will help you recognise these and give you essential guidance in differentiating them from atopic eczema.

Eczema accounts for nearly one third of all skin consultations in general practice, but there are many other common skin conditions often seen in primary care which you will need to be able to recognise. This tutorial provides an outline of the most important of these, together with pointers to differentiating them from eczema.

The recently issued NICE and BAD guidelines for the treatment of eczema have many implications for nurses providing day to day care of people with eczema, and will affect how you assess those in your care, the treatments you offer and the support you give. This tutorial looks at how the guidelines may impact on your practice and suggests ways you can implement their recommendations.

Emollients are the cornerstone of the treatment of eczema but many people are still not using them correctly, nor being prescribed them in sufficient quantities. This tutorial explores how emollients work and gives practical guidance on helping people in your care to use them effectively alongside topical steroids and other forms of therapy.

However well controlled eczema is, as a chronic condition people will need help and support to deal with it in the long term. This tutorial will help you to help those in your care to manage their own long term treatment, with an overview of alternative approaches for those inadequately controlled by standard therapy.

The better people with eczema understand their condition and its treatment, the better they will be able to cope with it and the better they will work with you in its management. This tutorial discusses the importance of working out a strategy for educating people in your care about the disease, its treatment and what they should expect from it.

There are many old wives' tales about eczema, most of them potentially harmful for anyone who believes them. This tutorial explores how nurses are central in clearing up misconceptions, and providing the reassurance that will allow you to build treatment confidence. It also discusses the importance of tailoring your communication approach to the culture, education and language skills of individuals.

For children with eczema the potential problems are magnified by their limited ability to understand what is happening to them. Their obvious distress puts a huge emotional and practical burden on their parents and carers, who will need all the help and support you can give them. This tutorial will help you give them practical advice on how they can best help their child, and advise them about other sources of help and advice.

In common with many other allergic conditions, eczema can be sparked off by a very wide range of trigger factors. This tutorial looks at some of those commonly implicated in atopic eczema and gives practical suggestions for avoiding them or minimising their impact when avoidance is not possible.

Even relatively mild eczema can have serious effects on the emotional well-being of people with eczema. The potential psychological impact of eczema is often quite independent of the severity of the condition, so it is essential to be aware of the emotional, social and relationship problems a person may face. This tutorial provides valuable information and sources of help and advice.

Anything which stops us sleeping causes a lot of distress. For people with eczema, itching can disrupt sleep so badly that it can profoundly affect their day to day functioning. And it's not just the person with eczema who is affected, as any parent of a child kept awake by eczema will tell you. This tutorial offers practical suggestions for managing sleep disruption.