Empowering Health Care Professionals: Training and Resources for Diverse AD Care

Content above is prompted by the following: Health care providers require specialized training resources to effectively recognize and manage AD across diverse skin tones and patient populations. Mark Makhinson, PharmD, emphasizes the importance of coordinated, multidisciplinary care teams where clinical pharmacists provide essential follow-up services, including financial assistance coordination, prior authorization support, injection training, and ongoing monitoring for adverse effects. This integrated approach ensures continuity of care and addresses practical barriers that might otherwise prevent treatment success. Educational resources should include visual learning tools and case-based discussions that expose providers to AD presentations across different skin types. April W. Armstrong, MD, MPH, recommends specific websites like eczemainskinofcolor.org and National Eczema Association resources that provide comprehensive image libraries and case vignettes. Professional conferences, both in-person and web-based, offer updated management strategies, whereas electronic modules from organizations like the American Academy of Dermatology and Skin of Color Society provide structured learning opportunities. Advanced practice providers benefit particularly from peer-to-peer educational settings and unbranded disease state awareness programs that allow collegial discussions about patient management challenges. Case-based roundtables with mixed audiences of different experience levels create valuable learning opportunities that can be immediately implemented in clinical practice. Andrew M. Mastro, MS, PA-C, notes that these interactive educational formats allow providers to discuss real patient scenarios and develop practical management strategies that address the diverse needs of their patient populations.