Experiences with the first eczema school in the United States

Patient education programs are beneficial in the treatment of chronic diseases. In Germany, France, and other countries worldwide, educating children, adolescents, and adults plus the parents of children with atopic dermatitis (AD) leads to better coping with the skin disease, as well as to a reduction in the severity of the skin symptoms and signs. The results in Europe led to the idea to also establish an eczema school in the United States. In the style of the German eczema school, an eczema school was founded in 2014 at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Since then, a team consisting of a dermatologist, psychologist, nutritionist, and nurse practitioner has offered an eczema school to interested patients with AD and their families three times a year. This patient education program consists of three weekly 2-hour sessions, which address proper skin care, the itch-scratch cycle, healthy nutrition, and the role of stress in AD. The current review summarizes the first experiences with the education program in the United States.