An evaluation of educational requirements for community nurses treating dermatological patients

In a questionnaire to community nurses treating dermatological patients, 14 out of 69 (20%) either treated children or gave advice to parents regardin g childhood eczema, 35 (51%) treated adult eczema, 11 (16%) treated psorias is, 55 (80%) treated leg ulcers, and 30 (43%) treated other dermatological problems. Specific questions regarding confidence to treat or educate were analysed in relation to the tasks being performed. All but 15% (8/55) treat ing leg ulcers were confident about their ability to apply four-layer banda ging. However, 8 out of 11 (72%) respondents treating psoriasis were not co nfident about their ability to treat scalp scaling, 11 out of 14 (79%) of t hose treating childhood eczema were not confident about applying body suiti ng, and 26 out of 36 (72%) of those treating eczema (any age), were not con fident about ability to recognize infection as a cause or complication of d ermatoses. The favoured educational modalities were visits to the local der matology department (60/69, 87%), availability of a dermatology Nurse Pract itioner or Liason Nurse, or access to a hospital nurse-run dermatology clin ic (both 44/69, 63%), or attendance at courses (36/69, 52%). Community nurs es have an important role in treating and educating patients who may not re quire or be able to attend hospitals for treatment; they will achieve this best by provision of relevant locally based education, with allocation of a dequate study time.