Psoriasis should not be underestimated. Inflamed, itchy plaques that stop patients wearing the clothes they want, or strangers thinking they’re infectious. Love lives on hold due to embarrassment. The feeling for many is that psoriasis is a life sentence because there is no cure.
What’s more, greasy, messy, smelly treatments can mean a lack of adherence.1 In fact, up to 40% of people with psoriasis are thought to be non-adherent with their medication.2 Psoriasis can not only make people feel embarrassed and ashamed, but sometimes also bring on severe depression, and anxiety.3,4 It can be a challenge for your patients to maintain a treatment regimen that not only takes time, but acts as a reminder of the condition. But the discipline of health psychology has revealed the underlying reasons why most people with psoriasis who are non-adherent make the choice not to maintain their treatment regimen. An innovative new patient support programme – ‘touch’ – from LEO Pharma UK has harnessed this evidence base to help you and your patients achieve improved outcomes.
New patient-centred support
We all know that an important part of patient-centred healthcare involves understanding and addressing an individual’s needs and concerns. That’s why LEO Pharma UK has developed a unique, confidential, free, tailored support programme for all people with psoriasis (over 18 years old and living in the UK) and their carers. touch* can supplement your professional support, clinical judgement and ongoing active management, including regular reviews. Unlike other programmes, touch combines insights from patients, leading health psychologists and dermatologists, and is also delivered in a personalised way, tailored to address individual concerns, and the underlying beliefs that interfere with patients’ adherence levels.
touch offers patients support and advice in a way that suits them. It goes a step beyond just providing information, and creates an opportunity for positive behaviour change. touch helps people with psoriasis feel supported as an individual.
Clare Moloney, Health Psychology Specialist
Delivering personalised support
touch uses carefully considered questions (devised by health psychologists) to help identify the areas where people would like more help, and their underlying reasons for struggling to stick to their treatment regime (e.g. lack of knowledge about getting the best out of treatments, relationship issues, etc). Using an innovative computer programme, touch then delivers the most relevant support, via a mix of magazines, emails, SMS text messages and a website.
What do patients receive?
Patients receive a welcome pack followed by a series of practical communications, based on their individual preferences. touch members only receive the information important to them, meaning that they may be more likely to respond positively. This can improve their understanding of psoriasis and also support increased treatment adherence.
touch also offers exclusive access to touchpsoriasis.co.uk, a website with practical tips for managing psoriasis. It includes stories and videos, providing advice from others who have the condition and know exactly what your patients are going through.
touch has its own phone enquiry/support line, and any caller who requests specific medical advice will of course always be referred back to their GP. A free and confidential service, it aims to provide people living with psoriasis, and their carers, with holistic emotional and physical support, and to help promote improved outcomes.
*touch is managed on behalf of LEO Pharma UK by Atlantis Healthcare. All patient data will be held by Atlantis Healthcare and not shared with LEO Pharma.
| Help your patients join the FREE support programme |
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If you’re interested in providing enhanced support to people living with psoriasis you can get more information, together with enrolment packs, by calling touch on FREE-phone 0800 074 0915. Patients, and their carers, can join the programme by visiting touchpsoriasis.co.uk or calling 0800 074 0916 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm). |
If you have any questions about touch, please call 0800 074 0915.
References
1. Buckley C et al. Dermatol 2008; 217: 107-113.
2. Richards HL et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2006; 20: 370-379.
3. Gupta MA et al. Int J Dermatol 1993; 32: 188-190.
4. Kurd SK et al. Arch Dermatol 2010; 146: 891-895.
This is a promotional feature article that has been produced by LEO Pharma UK.
