PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Katy Sivyer AU - Emma Teasdale AU - Kate Greenwell AU - Mary Steele AU - Daniela Ghio AU - Matthew J Ridd AU - Amanda Roberts AU - Joanne R Chalmers AU - Sandra Lawton AU - Sinead M Langan AU - Fiona Cowdell AU - Emma Le Roux AU - Sylvia Wilczynska AU - Hywel C Williams AU - Kim S Thomas AU - Lucy Yardley AU - Miriam Santer AU - Ingrid Muller TI - Supporting families managing childhood eczema: developing and optimising eczema care online using qualitative research AID - 10.3399/BJGP.2021.0503 DP - 2022 Jun 01 TA - British Journal of General Practice PG - e378--e389 VI - 72 IP - 719 4099 - http://bjgp.org/content/72/719/e378.short 4100 - http://bjgp.org/content/72/719/e378.full SO - Br J Gen Pract2022 Jun 01; 72 AB - Background Childhood eczema is often poorly controlled owing to underuse of emollients and topical corticosteroids (TCS). Parents/carers report practical and psychosocial barriers to managing their child’s eczema, including child resistance. Online interventions could potentially support parents/carers; however, rigorous research developing such interventions has been limited.Aim To develop an online behavioural intervention to help parents/carers manage and co-manage their child’s eczema.Design and setting Intervention development using a theory-, evidence-, and person-based approach (PBA) with qualitative research.Method A systematic review and qualitative synthesis of studies (n = 32) and interviews with parents/carers (n = 30) were used to identify barriers and facilitators to effective eczema management, and a prototype intervention was developed. Think-aloud interviews with parents/carers (n = 25) were then used to optimise the intervention to increase its acceptability and feasibility.Results Qualitative research identified that parents/carers had concerns about using emollients and TCS, incomplete knowledge and skills around managing eczema, and reluctance to transitioning to co-managing eczema with their child. Think-aloud interviews highlighted that, while experienced parents/carers felt they knew how to manage eczema, some information about how to use treatments was still new. Techniques for addressing barriers included providing a rationale explaining how emollients and TCS work, demonstrating how to use treatments, and highlighting that the intervention provided new, up-to-date information.Conclusion Parents/carers need support in effectively managing and co-managing their child’s eczema. The key output of this research is Eczema Care Online for Families, an online intervention for parents/carers of children with eczema, which is being evaluated in a randomised trial.