Understanding Urticaria: The What, Why & Itch (CE Nurse)

Barriers to effective urticaria treatment are often due to discrepancies between physician and patient perceptions regarding etiology, evaluation and treatment. Shared decision making is an important tenet of healthcare to optimize patient expectations, treatment and overall care. There is poor physician-patient partnership in the treatment of urticaria and often patients are uneducated about the disease, etiology and appropriate therapies and thus care of US patients in management of chronic urticaria can be suboptimal

1. Knowledge needs
• Healthcare providers should be able to compare / contrast the presentation, treatment and evaluation of acute versus chronic urticaria
2. Competence needs
• Physicians and patients should be able to describe the step up therapeutic approach for chronic urticaria, including management of special populations (pediatrics, pregnancy/lactation, elderly
3. Performance needs
• Optimized urticaria evaluation and implement guideline directed approach to management as well as consideration of alternative agents in refractory cases.