Challenges and strategies in dermatologic therapy-Personalized medicine, patient safety, and pharmacoeconomics

Skin conditions are among the most prevalent and disabling diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. Recently, there have been significant changes in dermatologic clinical practice. Advances in knowledge of disease pathophysiology have led to significant breakthroughs in diagnostics and therapy, as well as discovery of new treatment modalities. Additionally, research focusing on differences between individual patients has resulted in the growth of personalized medicine. Health care professionals are focusing on tailoring therapy to the individual characteristics of each patient, which in turn leads to improved quality of care and management of each individual. Of note, patient safety may be compromised when applying or taking dermatologic therapy as a result of medical error, patient noncompliance, adverse effects, or drug interactions. It is therefore of great importance to minimize, and if possible prevent these risks. Finally, the appraisal of health care goods and services currently does not only analyze the safety and efficacy of treatment, but also considers the economic impact on the cost of health care. Consequently, pharmacoeconomic evaluation has become an essential step in the introduction of new dermatologic treatments and the rational use of pharmaceuticals.