Skin Appendage Disorders · 5 authors, 4 centres
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This cross-sectional study analyzed US national ambulatory visit data from 2008-2018 to assess care for patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). It found very low rates of depression screening and lifestyle counseling, with disparities based on race and insurance status.
This study used public data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) to analyze 2.33 million estimated HS visits between 2008 and 2018. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions were used to estimate rates of depression screening and lifestyle counseling while controlling for demographics. The central results show that depression screening was completed in only 2.0% of visits, and no visits reported screening for alcohol misuse, substance abuse, or domestic violence. Counseling rates were low for weight reduction (7.8%), diet/nutrition (3.3%), exercise (2.4%), smoking (1.0%), and substance abuse (0.7%). Black patients and those with public insurance generally received less screening and counseling. Key limitations include potential underrepresentation of HS visits and the database not capturing all performed screenings. The findings imply a significant gap in routine psychosocial and lifestyle counseling during HS care, which could be addressed to improve patient outcomes.
