Primary care professionals' views on acne self-management: qualitative interview study

Area of Science:

• Dermatology and Primary Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Patient Education and Self-Management

Background:

• Acne significantly impacts patients psychosocially, yet knowledge gaps regarding effective treatments hinder adherence.
• Primary care professionals (PCPs) are crucial in addressing patient knowledge deficits and directing them to reliable information sources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate PCPs' perspectives on acne management.
• To assess PCPs' views on a novel web-based intervention and decision aid for young people with acne.
• To explore the potential implementation of this intervention in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 18 PCPs (GPs, pharmacists, nurse/paramedic prescribers) in England.
• Purposive sampling ensured diverse professional perspectives.
• Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interview data.

Main Results:

• PCPs face challenges in acne management, including patient knowledge deficits, non-adherence, managing expectations, and time constraints.
• PCPs expressed a need for practical guidelines and templates for consultations.
• Participants believed acne-specific resources could enhance patient empowerment, shared decision-making, and consultation efficiency.

Conclusions:

• There is a clear need for improved access to evidence-based acne resources for both patients and PCPs.
• The study findings have directly informed the development of a new intervention and decision aid to support effective acne management.