A fact-finding study on treatment with ointment provided by parents of children with atopic dermatitis

Abstract

The treatment for atopic dermatitis consists primarily of application of topical steroids. In this study, we investigated the type of instructions on ointment use given to the parents of children with atopic dermatitis. We also measured the actual quantity of ointment applied and examined the relationship between the quantity of ointment applied and the method and content of such instructions, and the parents’ anxieties about topical steroids.

We asked them to apply a topical steroid to an area of the skin about the size of a single palm (0.5 FTU = 0.25 ｇ), and found that the amount of ointment they used was 0.04 g - 0.25 g, and the average amount used was 0.12 g (SD = 0.07). Parents who had received instruction orally and with demonstrations were shown to have used an amount of ointment that was closer to the amount prescribed in terms of a Fingertip Unit (FTU), or a guide to the appropriate amount of topical steroid to be applied to a body site, with one unit, or 0.5 g, describing the amount of ointment squeezed out from the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint to the tip of an adult index finger. When asked if they were anxious about adverse reactions, five answered, “Yes,” and eight said “Somewhat anxious,” together accounting for over 80% of the participants. This research was novel in that we assessed the instructions for topical steroids by measuring the actual quantity of ointment applied by parents.