The place of therapeutic education in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic disease of the skin that has heavy impact on the quality of life of children affected and raises the question of compliance, which frequently leads to treatment failure. Various problems are at the origin of poor compliance, such as the progressive loss of parents' motivation, the complexity of treatments, the corticosteroid phobia of health care workers and patients, and the side effects induced by treatment, their inefficiency and their cost. Therapeutic training is aimed at helping the patients to cope with their disease and to avoid the related complications. Its aim is to permit patients, and those who surround them, to acquire competence and sufficient knowledge so as to become autonomous. This acquisition and appropriation of competence by the patients requires personalised surveillance. Hence, therapeutic education is a continuous process of accompanying the patient throughout training. It is not a substitute to treatment but is conducted in parallel, to enable the patients to optimize their quality of life. Therapeutic training is already recognised as a crucial element in the management of many diseases. Despite the difficulties encountered, educational centres would clearly improve the management of AD.