Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Royal College of General Practitioners, British Journal of General Practice, 719(72), p. e390-e397, 2022

DOI: 10.3399/bjgp.2021.0630

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

How parents and children evaluate emollients for childhood eczema: a qualitative study

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Postprint: archiving forbidden
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

BackgroundEczema affects one in five children in the UK. Regular application of emollients is routinely recommended for children with eczema. There are four main emollient types, but no clear evidence of which is best. The current ‘trial and error’ approach to find suitable emollients can be frustrating for parents, children, and clinicians.AimTo identify how parents and children experience and evaluate emollients.Design and settingQualitative interview study, nested within a primary care trial of emollients (Best Emollients for Eczema [BEE] trial).MethodSemi-structured interviews with children with eczema and their parents were conducted. Participants were purposively sampled on emollient type (lotion, cream, gel, or ointment), age, and eczema severity.ResultsForty-four parents were interviewed, with children participating in 24 of those interviews. There was no clear preference for any one emollient type. The strongest theme was the variation of experience in each of the four types. Participants focused on thickness and absorbency, both positively and negatively, to frame their evaluations. Effectiveness and acceptability were both considered when evaluating an emollient but effectiveness was the primary driver for continued use. For some, participating in the trial had changed their knowledge and behaviour of emollients, resulting in use that was more regular and for a longer duration.ConclusionThere is no one emollient that is suitable for everyone, and parents/children prioritise different aspects of emollients. Future research could evaluate decision aids and/or tester pots of different types, which could enable clinicians and parents/children to work collaboratively to identify the best emollient for them.