The two treatment protocols for The Combined Approach given below are for adults and older children, and for younger children and their parents.
The diagram above is a guide for choosing the appropriate protocol. Between the youngest patient and older children a programme can be constructed to suit the individual and their family.
The two treatment protocols for The Combined Approach given below are for adults and older children, and for younger children and their parents. They are from Atopic Skin Disease – A Manual for Practitioners, Appendix 1. They are those used at the Daniel Turner Department of Dermatology, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and were drawn up by Dr Christopher Bridgett during the development of The Combined Approach, in order to give a consistent framework to the process of assessment and treatment. They are written as training aids, to have in the clinic during consultations, to ensure the basic features of each clinic visit are adequately covered, each patient therefore receiving the same assessment and treatment programme. The clinical record is handwritten at the time of the consultation, though the protocols can be used to create a computerised clinical record, which can then act as both aid and record.
The original format of clinic visits was created from the method seen to be effective under the original research conditions – see for example Norén, P and Melin, L (1989) in Further Reading. In practice the format and the details of the protocols can be used flexibly according to circumstances, depending on the clinical expertise of the practitioner, or the patient’s preference. Experience will build on the principles outlined here, with number, timing and content of visits being adapted according to the needs of both practitioner and patient.
The process of using The Combined Approach is therefore not static, but constantly evolving, and members of this online community can contribute to the effectiveness of the approach by sharing here in The Forum their experiences and observations for others to benefit from.
