Carers' views of the medical management of childhood eczema
| NICE guideline on atopic eczema in children — key recommendations | Examples of carers' view of medical management |
|---|---|
| Emollients should always be used, even when the atopic eczema is clear | ‘It's not like asthma when my husband takes a brown puff inhaler every day just to keep it going rather than just when an attack happens; whether that's right or wrong, I don't know, but I'm thinking of the long-term, cumulative impact of constantly slapping all this stuff on [emollients] and your skin is a sponge, and it's just absorbing it and going into the bloodstream, I think, well, it's probably better off if their skin can naturally deal with whatever's going on at the time …’ (Kim) |
| Treatment should be stepped up to topical corticosteroids for flare-ups | ‘My mum has got a friend who has used all her life and her skin is pretty — you get that sort of scarring don't you, she's got that on her face, so that's sort of long-term use I know but I'm always thinking about it when I'm applying it.’ (Vicky) |
| Allergy testing is not helpful in eczema | ‘I would hope that they would do a little bit more tests as to find out what they are actually allergic to that would make the eczema suddenly flare up or you know what they eat food wise …’ (Sabrina) |