CLINICAL GUIDELINESWORK AT STARSHIPCONTACTS
Information for
Health Professionals

Child and Youth Eczema Clinical Network

Purpose of the Network

The purpose of the New Zealand Child and Youth Eczema Clinical Network is to establish a national multi-disciplinary network that will support clinicians working across community, primary, secondary and tertiary services to deliver high quality, cost effective and integrated eczema treatment programmes for children, youth and their whanau.

If you are a health professional interested in joining the Eczema Clinical Network, please email kaleen@healthnetworks.co.nz.

For an overview, please see an interview with Dr Diana Purvis, paediatric dermatologist, at the 2019 Goodfellow Symposium.

 

Clinical Guidelines

Clinical Guidelines developed by the Child and Youth Eczema Clinical Network can be found in the Starship Guidelines. These are:

See also the Starship Clinical Guideline 'Eczema - Inpatient and Outpatient Management'

Resources for Health Professionals

  1. Handouts for families

    1. Eczema Action Plan

    2. Bleach bath instructions

    3. Caring for your child's eczema

    4. Infected eczema guide for families

  2. Recommendations on prescribing emollients and topical steroids

    1. Safer Healthy Prescribing - Eczema: http://www.saferx.co.nz/assets/Documents/full/e8cb388a3c/eczema.pdf

    2. BPAC paper ‘Childhood eczema: improving adherence to treatment basics’ 2017 (D. Purvis) https://bpac.org.nz/2016/childhood-eczema.aspx

    3. BPAC paper ‘Topical corticosteroids for childhood eczema: clearing up the confusion’: https://bpac.org.nz/2016/topical-corticosteroids.aspx

    4. The Australasian College of Dermatologists Consensus Statement: Topical corticosteroids in paediatric eczema (https://www.dermcoll.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/ACD-Consensus-Statement-Topical-Corticosteroids-and-Eczema-Feb-2017.pdf)

    5. NICE Guidelines https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG57

  3. Eczema Severity Score.
    A patient-oriented eczema measure for childhood eczema from the University of Nottingham can be downloaded here.

  4. Eczema Management and Prevention of Allergy
    The Australian National Allergy Strategy has launched this website with practical information and education resources for both health professionals and parents about how to introduce the common food allergens and how to optimise eczema management: https://preventallergies.org.au/healthcare-professionals/
    Please advise parents/patients that phone numbers, brands and some advice is different in New Zealand. Eg adding oil and salt to baths.

  5. Eczema Myths and the Facts
    The majority of children with eczema can be managed in an outpatient setting. However, it is often under-treated, with fear of topical corticosteroids a major factor. The compilation of this & other published Myths & Facts is to help health professionals in advising patients & their families.
    • Eczema Myths & The Facts | KidsHealth NZ (by the Child & Youth Eczema Clinical Network). A pdf version can be downloaded here
    • Eczema and Food Allergy - Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA)
    • Patient Fact Sheet for use of Topical Corticosteroids (by the Australasian College of Dermatologists)

Education and training for Health Professionals

The following links are to education and training for health professionals in primary and community care including for GPs and nurses (RNZCGP CME endorsed).

  1. Goodfellow Unit:

    1. Atopic Eczema in Children https://goodfellowunit.org/courses/atopic-eczema-children

    2. Innovations in managing childhood eczema https://www.goodfellowunit.org/events/webinar-innovations-managing-childhood-eczema

  2. Pharmac Seminars (RNZCGP CME endorsed)

    1. Practical management of eczema: http://pharmac.health.nz/seminars/seminar-resources/eczema/

    2. Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of food allergy and eczema: https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/seminars/seminar-resources/allergy-and-eczema/

  3. ASCIA Paediatric atopic dermatitis (eczema) e-training for health professionals: https://etraininghp.ascia.org.au/mod/page/view.php?id=135

Model of Care for Childhood Eczema

View the Model of Care for Childhood Eczema via this link.

Family Information and Handouts

Videos: These were developed by the Child and Youth Eczema Clinical Network and are useful to show parents/carers. eg Eczema care: Three Easy Steps (https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/eczema-care-3-easy-steps?language=zh-hans)

Kidshealth website: https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/eczema

Allergy Prevention including Eczema Care and Infant Feeding: The Australian National Allergy Strategy has launched the pilot phase of ‘Nip Allergies in the Bub’. https://preventallergies.org.au/eczema/

The website contains practical information for parents about how to introduce the common food allergens and how to optimise eczema management. Please note that contacts e.g. emergency numbers; and brands, products or advice such as for bleach products, adding oil or salt, and use of wet wraps, may be different in New Zealand.

It is also recommended in New Zealand, that unless a clinical diagnosis of food allergy is made, food not be delayed or withdrawn from a child’s diet.