If you have considered transitioning current psoriasis patients receiving in-office phototherapy to home phototherapy, you may want to read the recently published article, “Transition of Patients With Psoriasis From Office-Based Phototherapy to Nurse-Supported Home Phototherapy: A Pilot Study”. The study, which was conducted by the Dermatology Department at Group Health in Seattle, Washington, was printed in the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association’s January/ February 2018 issue. It is well documented that home phototherapy is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, though it is often an underutilized treatment method here in the United States.
The study had two primary goals: (1) to confirm the effectiveness of home narrowband UVB (NBUVB) phototherapy knowing the established effectiveness of office-based NBUVB phototherapy and (2) gauge the amount of physician and nurse oversight required to successfully transition a patient to home phototherapy.
Being a pilot study, the test sample was small with ten psoriasis patients participating in the eight-month trial. The average age was 49, with four men and six women. Participants received formal phototherapy training by experienced phototherapy nurses and were checked on by a study nurse for the first four to eight weeks. Daavlin 7 Series full-body home phototherapy units, featuring 12 lamps and Daavlin’s FlexRx exposure limiting software, were installed in each participant’s home after which independent self-treatments commenced.
The first goal was to confirm the effectiveness of home phototherapy. Baseline Psoriasis Severity Index Scores (PASI) were taken and compared to scores at the end of the study, which determined that mean PASI scores decreased, concluding that there was an overall decrease in disease severity. The second goal was to evaluate the necessary physician/ staff oversight required to make the transition to home phototherapy. All ten participants in the eight month trial were successfully transitioned to home phototherapy with little nursing support by week eight of the 8 month study. It was found that while significant nursing support is initially required via introductory phototherapy training and early follow-up, the support needed lessened pointedly with time.
If you are considering transitioning some of your psoriasis patients to home phototherapy, consider Daavlin. Daavlin has a team of experienced patient account specialists who answer any questions, verify insurance benefits with no cost or obligation, and process insurance claims. Daavlin also offers toll-free technical support to assist patients with the usage of their home phototherapy device. For more information about prescribing Daavlin home phototherapy click here or email info@daavlin.com.
Citation:
Transition of Patients With Psoriasis From Office-Based Phototherapy to Nurse-Supported Home Phototherapy: A Pilot Study. Matthews, Sarah W.; Simmer, Michelle (Misha); Williams, Lisa; Fishman, Paul; Shors, Andrew R. [Article] Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association. 10(1):29-41, January/February 2018.
