Role of personalized medication training in improving efficacy and adherence to a topical therapy in psoriatic patients.

BACKGROUND: Poor adherence to topical therapy, defined as the degree to which patients use medication as prescribed by their healthcare provider, represents a frequent cause of poor treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of individualized medication training on efficacy, adherence and patient satisfaction to 4 weeks of a topical therapy in psoriasis.

METHODS: All enrolled psoriatic patients were given a prescription for calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate gel once daily and were randomly assigned to one of the two following groups with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Patients in group 1 and group 2 underwent an initial visit, including the physical examination and provision of information by the dermatologist. Patients in group 2 also received an additional 20 min of individualized medication training. Efficacy, adherence and patient satisfaction were evaluated after 4 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS: We enrolled 104 consecutive patients with psoriasis: patients in group 2, who were trained, had a significant improvement at week 4 in BSA, PASI, dPGA and higher PPQ score, and were more adherent compared to those in group 1 who were not trained.

CONCLUSION: Individualized medication training on the correct application of a topical therapy from a healthcare professional may improve patients' adherence, treatment tolerability and clinical outcomes.