Therapeutic patient education and self-management support for patients with psoriasis - a systematic review

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. Patient education may be one option to improve adherence and coping. The aim of this systematic review is to identify studies evaluating educational interventions for psoriasis patients. The review was conducted following the methods recommended by Cochrane. We searched seven databases, one trial register and three grey literature repositories. Data screening and extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0, ROBINS-I, and NIH tools were used. Additionally, the APEASE criteria were applied. We evaluated 16 studies. Two randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluated patient-practitioner or patient-nurse one-to-one interventions, one RCT assessed a web-based intervention and three RCTs reported group interventions taking place frequently; one RCT reported one-off group sessions. The remaining RCT compared the healthcare professionals involved. The risk of bias rating ranged from "some concerns" to "high". Three RCTs found an effect. We included four controlled clinical trials (CCTs), one of which had an effect. One of the four before-and-after-studies warrants further investigation. Despite similarities in delivery mode across the interventions, patients who were eligible and settings in which interventions were delivered differed. Interventions that included an individual (one-to-one) session appeared to be successful. Two interventions seem suitable for adaptation using APEASE: the topical treatment program and motivational interviewing after climate therapy.