Making a specialist referral

The majority of healthcare professionals in primary care can confidently manage many aspects of eczema, however, there may be times when specialist support is needed¹:

• When there is uncertainly around diagnosis (for example you suspect contact allergic dermatitis)
• When you suspect eczema herpeticum (requires same-day referral) or a when a patient is experiencing severe and recurrent infections
• When a patient has not responded satisfactorily to optimal topical therapy and may benefit from specialist advice on treatment application such as wet wraps
• When someone is experiencing significant social or psychological problems (e.g. sleep disturbance, numerous days off school or work) as a result of their eczema

Service configuration varies across the country, which means that a dermatology referral might be to a Dermatology Specialist Nurse, a GPwSi in dermatology, or a secondary care based Dermatologist, depending on local arrangements.²

In some cases, your patients may benefit from being seen by other specialists such as psychologists, dieticians or food allergy specialists, geriatricians or paediatricians.

Supporting your patients » « Additional treatment options

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