EFA

In the past years, EFA has been vocal in advocating change for all people living with atopic eczema in Europe. One of our most relevant contributions has been the biggest-ever Quality of Life survey on severe atopic eczema, published in 2018, a patient reported outcome measurement (PROM) that surveyed almost 1,189 patients from 9 European countries. The resulting report “Itching for Life” was a breakthrough piece that sheds light into the life and economic costs encountered by atopic eczema patients.

Despite growing awareness and advancement around skin conditions, the burden atopic eczema patients endure each day is not sufficiently recognised, nor equal. It implies pain, isolation and economic costs that result from the gap in consensus around multidisciplinary care approaches based on needs that could address the impacts patients face in Europe. Awareness around these issues is currently only acknowledged among the atopic eczema community.

The lack of a strong consensus on atopic eczema burden in Europe from the healthcare community leads to a persisting approach to give low priority to atopic eczema as a serious chronic disease. At EFA we seek to change this situation.

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Reaching a consensus across Europe

In 2021, EFA launched a project to fill the awareness and care gaps and find consensus on the burden of Atopic Eczema/Dermatitis for patients and carers. We gathered 15 key opinion leaders from the atopic eczema community (patients, patients’ representatives and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals) to discuss and find common ground on the social burden caused by Atopic Eczema by showing the gaps. These opinion leaders formed the Consensus Committee and shared expert advice on the challenges faced by atopic eczema patients and potential solutions.

The result of this project is a report to serve as a key, regional, advocacy tool for the community patients and healthcare professionals, and stakeholders, to develop the voice and joint position to change patients’ access to quality of care based on the real burden of atopic eczema.

Acknowledgements

The EFA’s Atopic Eczema Consensus Europe Project, meeting and consensus report have been funded with unrestricted grants from EFA’s Sustainable Funding Partners AbbVie, LEO Pharma, and Sanofi/Regeneron.