Web-based consultations for parents of children with atopic dermatitis: results of a randomized controlled trial

Aim: To analyse how web-based consultations for parents of children with atopic dermatitis affect self-management behaviour, health outcome, health resource use and family costs.
Methods: Ninety-eight children with atopic dermatitis were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received remote dermatology consultations through a secure web-based communication system. The control group was encouraged to seek treatment through traditional means such as general practitioner visits and hospital care. Both groups received an extensive individual educational session prior to the intervention.
Results: Thirty-eight percent of the intervention group used web-based consultations 158 times ranging from 1 to 38 consultations per patient. We found no change in self-management behaviour, health outcome or costs. The intervention group tended to have fewer visits to practitioners offering complementary therapies than the control group, and we found a positive correlation between emergency visits at baseline and messages sent. Both groups, however, reduced the mean number of skin care treatments performed per week and had fewer total health care visits after the intervention.
Conclusion: We found no effect of supplementing traditional treatment for childhood dermatitis with web-based consultations. This study showed that web consultations is feasible, but more research is needed to determine its effect on self-management skills, health outcome and resource use.