NYMC Faculty Publications
Improving Health Literacy and Treatment Understanding of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Using Group Educational Interventions
DOI
10.1080/09546634.2018.1562536
Journal Title
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment
First Page
708
Last Page
713
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
November 2019
Department
Dermatology
Abstract
Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic immune-mediated skin disorder characterized by inflamed, painful abscesses most commonly located in the intertriginous regions that may lead to significant scarring and social stigma. It is unclear how much patients with HS understand about their disease. Objective: We sought to evaluate baseline knowledge of patients who have HS, as well as to evaluate if an educational intervention of a teaching session about the disease will help increase patient's knowledge of their ailment and treatment options. These sessions also act as a support group for the participants, during which they have time to connect with one another and discuss their experiences with HS. Methods: Participants were recruited at Tufts Medical Center by searching for an ICD-10 code of HS or were identified via advertisement. Eligible subjects were given a study specific questionnaire pre- and post an educational lecture on HS. Results: Twenty subjects participated in the study, conducted from June 2017 through January 2018. Mean test score improved from 62.7% to 82.7% (p < .0001). Additionally, participants reported an average of 20.3% (p = .0002) improvement in their knowledge of HS postintervention. Conclusions: Group information sessions can be an effective means to educate patients with hidradenitis suppurativa and were preferable to the majority of participants in this study.
Recommended Citation
Prussick, L., Tonelli, S., Gottlieb, A., Joshipura, D., Alomran, A., Zancanaro, P., Courtney Kachuk, R., Dumont, N., & Rosmarin, D. (2019). Improving Health Literacy and Treatment Understanding of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Using Group Educational Interventions. The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 30 (7), 708-713. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546634.2018.1562536