Current practices for pediatric phototherapy: Findings from a cross-sectional study.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Pediatric Phototherapy
• Clinical Practice

Background:

• Phototherapy is a common treatment for pediatric inflammatory skin conditions.
• Lack of specific guidelines for pediatric phototherapy results in inconsistent treatment protocols.
• Variability in pediatric phototherapy implementation necessitates an understanding of current practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate current implementation practices of phototherapy in pediatric patients across the United States.
• To identify common themes and variations in pediatric phototherapy procedures.
• To provide insights for developing standardized pediatric phototherapy guidelines.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, survey-based study was conducted.
• Data were collected from 39 clinical sites across 19 states in the US.
• Sites were identified through the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) Health Care Provider Directory.

Main Results:

• 100% of responding sites used Fitzpatrick skin type for phototherapy dosing.
• 91.8% of sites had no minimum age requirement for pediatric patients.
• 86.4% required informed consent, and 65% allowed parents in the lightbox with children.

Conclusions:

• Current pediatric phototherapy practices show considerable variability, particularly regarding age and parental accompaniment.
• The universal use of Fitzpatrick skin typing suggests a potential basis for standardized dosing protocols.
• Further research is needed to establish evidence-based guidelines for safe and effective pediatric phototherapy.