Comparison of Physicians’ Perceptions Regarding Dermatological Diseases

Abstract

Background/Aims: Physicians frequently encounter skin diseases and provide opinions to their patients regarding dermatology. We aimed to assess the perceptions of physicians regarding skin diseases and to compare dermatologists’ and non-dermatologist physicians’ understanding of specific dermatological issues. Methods: Through an online form, participants were asked to respond to sentences indicating whether skin diseases are related to the liver or food with options such as "almost always," "mostly," "half-and-half," "less often," and "almost never." Similarly, they were asked to respond to sentences related to avoiding isotretinoin treatment and performing allergy tests in acute urticaria with options as "strongly disagree," "disagree," "partly agree," "agree," and "strongly agree." Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v.27. Results: The sentences “skin diseases are of liver origin” and “skin diseases are caused by foods/drinks” received responses of “almost never” or “less often” at a rate of 91.8% and 80.9%, respectively. The total proportions of participants who selected “strongly agree,” “agree,” or “partly agree” were 53.9% for the statement restricting isotretinoin use and 45.5% for the statement recommending allergy testing in acute urticaria. While 91.8% of dermatologists disagreed with the statement limiting isotretinoin use, 68.3% of non-dermatologist physicians partially or completely agreed. For the statement recommending allergy testing in acute urticaria, 85.8% of dermatologists disagreed, while 55.7% of non-dermatologist physicians partially or completely agreed. Conclusions: The popular belief that skin diseases are caused by the liver or food has no basis among physicians. However, contrary to the literature, non-dermatologist physicians have expressed opinions that isotretinoin should be used as little as possible due to potential harm to the liver and that allergy tests should be performed in cases of acute urticaria. Giving importance to these topics during medical education will contribute to changing physicians' perspectives and ultimately benefit public health.