Usefulness of Inpatient Care for Atopic Dermatitis: A Questionnaire Survey in Patients With a History of Hospitalization

Abstract

The responses to the questionnaire, obtained from 66 subjects aged over 20 years, were analyzed to evaluate the usefulness of inpatient care. The subjects included 40 men and 26 women, and the mean duration of hospital stay was 12.6 days.
Preadmission analysis of skin and mental symptoms showed that “intense itching sensation” was the most commonly reported symptom (87.9%). Other common symptoms included symptoms related to impaired performance (eg, “difficulty in job or learning” and “loss of concentration”), sleep disorders (eg, “difficulty falling asleep” and “unable to sleep”), and problems related to one's external appearance (eg, “difficulty going out” and “nervous with surrounding people”).
An analysis at the time of discharge from the hospital showed that the alleviation rate for skin and mental symptoms was high (92% and 79%, respectively). In summary, the favorable effects of hospitalization included direct advantages of inpatient care (eg, “alleviation of skin symptoms, letting the patient feel easier and comfortable,” and “release from itching sensation”) and improvement in compliance and adherence to treatment (eg, “understanding the necessity of oral medication” and “understanding the using method and necessity of topical drug preparations”). After discharge from the hospital, 76% of the patients have remained free of skin symptoms.
The results indicate that short-term intensive inpatient care is very useful and markedly improves the quality of life of patients with severe atopic dermatitis.Skin Research, Suppl. 18: 43-47, 2012