Extended implementation of educational programs for atopic dermatitis in childhood

Children with atopic dermatitis (AD) suffer from chronic relapsing inflammatory skin lesions accompanied by insatiable itching, dryness, excoriated skin, or even (super-)infections. This burden impairs the quality of life of affected children and their families. Due particularly to the recurrent course of the disease, patients often lose confidence in treatment and fear side effects of steroids. Family education programs for AD have been established in the last decades to provide appropriate education and psychosocial support. However, the need for long-lasting strategies in treatment and prevention has even increased. Recent findings not only underline the importance of an intact skin barrier in regard to acute therapy but also suggest that an impairment of skin barrier integrity promotes the development of subsequent atopic diseases in the course of the atopic march. Moreover, in addition to the psychosocial burden due to stigmatized appearance or sleep disturbance, new observations document an increased presence of psychosomatic comorbidities in patients with AD. We reviewed recent educational interventions regarding the theoretical background and here will discuss the heterogeneous approaches of existing programs in childhood. Despite high variations of educational strategies, an overriding aim should be the broader integration of supporting programs in the treatment of children with AD to empower the affected child and its caregiver's to obtain the best possible care, quality of life, and to promote (secondary) prevention.