BACKGROUND: dermatologists are expected to be increasingly confronted with institutionalized elderly patients, due to the rapidly ageing world population. OBJECTIVES: to determine the proportion of dermatologists visiting patients in nursing homes, together with the reasons for consultation, barriers to perform these visits and diagnostic and treatment patterns. MATERIALS & METHODS: a web-based questionnaire regarding dermatologic care in nursing home patients was developed by a multidisciplinary group of dermatologists, residents and elderly care physicians. A cover letter containing a link to the final questionnaire was sent by e-mail to all 661 dermatologists and dermatology residents in the Netherlands. RESULTS: a total of 130 eligible questionnaires were returned (19.7%). Most respondents (79.2%) never had contact with an elderly care physician concerning a nursing home patient. However, only 30.0% of the respondents ever visited a patient within a nursing home. The most common reasons for nursing home visits were cutaneous (pre)malignancies (51.4%), eczema/dermatitis (25.7%) and (pressure) ulcers (8.6%). The most important barriers mentioned to perform nursing home visits were a lack of time and indistinct and/or inadequate financial compensation. Diagnostic and treatment patterns often differed from the outpatient clinic due to various patient-related and logistic factors. CONCLUSION: dermatologists are frequently confronted with nursing home patients but only a minority visits patients within nursing homes. Lack of time and/or financial compensation seem important barriers.
BACKGROUND: dermatologists are expected to be increasingly confronted with institutionalized elderly patients, due to the rapidly ageing world population. OBJECTIVES: to determine the proportion of dermatologists visiting patients in nursing homes, together with the reasons for consultation, barriers to perform these visits and diagnostic and treatment patterns. MATERIALS & METHODS: a web-based questionnaire regarding dermatologic care in nursing home patients was developed by a multidisciplinary group of dermatologists, residents and elderly care physicians. A cover letter containing a link to the final questionnaire was sent by e-mail to all 661 dermatologists and dermatology residents in the Netherlands. RESULTS: a total of 130 eligible questionnaires were returned (19.7%). Most respondents (79.2%) never had contact with an elderly care physician concerning a nursing home patient. However, only 30.0% of the respondents ever visited a patient within a nursing home. The most common reasons for nursing home visits were cutaneous (pre)malignancies (51.4%), eczema/dermatitis (25.7%) and (pressure) ulcers (8.6%). The most important barriers mentioned to perform nursing home visits were a lack of time and indistinct and/or inadequate financial compensation. Diagnostic and treatment patterns often differed from the outpatient clinic due to various patient-related and logistic factors. CONCLUSION: dermatologists are frequently confronted with nursing home patients but only a minority visits patients within nursing homes. Lack of time and/or financial compensation seem important barriers.