Tracking Progress and Bridging Guideline Gaps in Atopic Dermatitis Care

In this episode, 'Tracking Progress and Bridging Guideline Gaps in Atopic Dermatitis Care,' the expert dermatologist explored the following questions:

How are you monitoring patients and what are your methods for capturing patient-reported outcomes such as patient satisfaction?

The atopic dermatitis (AD) guideline landscape has evolved, but gaps remain. Where do you feel current guidelines fall short in giving clinicians clear, actionable direction — and how is that ambiguity showing up in practice?

Angela Lamb examined the real-world challenges of capturing patient-reported outcomes in clinical practice, noting that while standardized pre-visit assessments and long-term tracking of quality of life and itch scores are theoretically ideal, implementation barriers such as varying electronic medical record (EMR) systems and competing clinical demands make consistent adoption difficult outside of clinical trial settings. Dr. Lamb highlighted the significant opportunity to better leverage technology to push assessments to patients prior to visits and track scores longitudinally, enabling more meaningful conversations about disease trajectory and treatment response over time. Turning to the guideline landscape, she acknowledged that the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) guidelines serve as a strong evidence-based framework, organizing biologics and oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors by strength of evidence, but noted that gaps remain in translating broad recommendations into patient-specific treatment decisions, particularly when factors such as patient age, comorbidities, or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval status limit the applicability of first-line recommendations for individual patients.

Throughout the conversation, the expert provided a comprehensive reflection on the field and the factors that may shape how clinicians approach care moving forward.

Our next episode, 'Navigating Treatment Sequencing and Defining Failure in Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis,' further explores atopic dermatitis, highlighting the role of biologic cycling with interleukin-targeting therapies, how AHEAD recommendations are shaping patient assessment and treatment sequencing in practice, and what the threshold for moving to advanced therapy looks like for patients with moderate-to-severe AD.