Role of the Dermatology Nurse in Managing Hand and Foot Psoriasis

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The dermatology nurse's primary goal with all patients is to improve their quality of life, and this is especially important for patients with hand and foot psoriasis. As nurses, we have responsibility for helping these patients become functional again in their jobs, with families, and in relationships. Meeting these patients' physical, psychological, and emotional needs is a key priority. Patient screening is one important method that dermatology nurses must use in an effort to determine these needs. A sound approach here is designing a quality of life questionnaire that assesses the patient's recent, overall well-being by asking such questions as:

• How itchy, sore, painful, or stinging has your skin been?
• How embarrassed or self-conscious have you been because of your skin?
• How much has your skin interfered with you going shopping, or looking after your home or garden?
• Has your skin prevented you from working or studying?

Patient counseling, support, and education are important to achieving therapeutic success. Educating patients about their disease and the prescribed treatment is paramount. For example, dermatology nurses who give patients injection training for biologic agents should also emphasize to them the importance of compliance with that particular therapy. treatment with efalizumab showed statistically significant improvement in patients with chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis involving the hands and feet .