Qualitative analysis of the impact of atopic dermatitis on caregivers
Richard W. Kim, Kelly Barta, Wendy Smith Begolka, Korey Capozza, Sanaz Eftekhari, Kathryn Tullos, N. Tomaszewski, Claire Snell‐Rood, Katrina Abuabara
Abstract
Dear Editor, Family caregivers play an important role in the wellbeing of individuals with chronic health conditions but can experience psychological, behavioural and physiological effects that can impact their health.1–3 Atopic dermatitis (AD) (also known as eczema) is the most burdensome skin condition worldwide.4 Because it is important to understand the range and nuances of caregiver impact, we sought to qualitatively summarize caregiver perspectives, an area that is understudied compared with patient impact in AD.5 Data are taken from an international survey developed by patient advocacy groups and fielded online in 2019 as part of a US Food and Drug Administration patient‐focused drug development initiative. After scoring the impact of caring for someone with AD, participants were asked to provide additional comments in free‐text form on how AD caregiving has impacted their life. Quantitative results on caregiving are published in a companion research letter (Kim et al., this issue of BJD6). Using an iterative, consensus‐building process, we identified themes and developed a codebook with definitions, typical and atypical exemplars, and exclusions.7 Codes were tested for interrater reliability and then applied in dyads.