Parental health beliefs towards topical steroid use in atopic dermatitis management

Background: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that has a significant negative impact on the quality of life of its sufferers. Topical corticosteroids (TCS) remain the firstline management of AD and effective management has been linked with improvements in social and emotional wellbeing. However, in recent years, there has been a shift away from TCS, with discussions around TCS self-withdrawal, addiction and the "no-moisture" coming to the forefront. As parents are directly involved in management of paediatric AD in general practice, a focus on their experiences is important, particularly for counselling and potentially improving patient outcomes. Aim: To gain insight into the perceived barriers and facilitators causing parents to withhold or prematurely cease TCS management in their children. Method: One-on-one in-depth semistructured interviews will be undertaken with parents of children with AD. Parents will be recruited via professional and personal networks. The interview protocol involves questions about participants' experiences and knowledge about AD as well as their experiences with topical corticosteroid use. Findings: The project is in the final stages of obtaining ethics approval. It is anticipated that data collection and analysis will span until September. Preliminary results will be included in the presentation. Implications: It is hoped that the findings from this project will increase understanding of parental concerns about TCS use in the paediatric population as well as assist with future recommendations or strategies on how to improve counselling of parents regarding TCS use.