APACHE
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Action Plans for Children with Eczema (APACHE): a study to develop written action plans for children with eczema and explore how best to implement them
IRAS ID
199486
Contact name
Matthew Ridd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
Eczema is a common, long-term term condition that causes dry, red and itchy skin. It affects around 1 in 5 children and most are diagnosed and looked after by their general practitioner (GP). It can usually be controlled through the use of creams and ointments, applied regularly to moisturize the skin and treat “flares”. However, treatments are commonly under-used and parents of children with eczema often get confused about which cream to use and when.
Guidelines say that the care of children with eczema could be improved through the use of individualised written action plans (WAPs). These are parent-held treatment instructions, which are handed out by doctors/nurses and made specific to each child. These have been shown to be helpful in children with asthma and we want to find out whether they could also work for children with eczema.
To find out whether the NHS should be using WAPs in this condition, we want to start off by talking with the people who would be using them: parents, children, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. We will find out their views on key things such as: what an eczema WAP should look like or contain, and what will decide whether they are used or not. This is a crucial stage that will enable us to go on and develop a feasibility study to examine whether WAPs should be used as a tool to treat and manage childhood eczema in primary care.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/YH/0179
Date of REC Opinion
28 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion