Medical center finds Web-based survey helps teens fight acne
Use of acne treatment medicine nearly tripled among teens taking part in a weekly Web-based survey that served as a sort of virtual doctor’s visit, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The study, published in the October issue of Archives of Dermatology, involved placing 20 male and females aged 13 and 18 in either a control group or an Internet-based survey group. They were all prescribed the same medical treatment for 12 weeks. Those in the Internet survey group were issued weekly emails containing links to a survey assessing their acne severity and treatment, and those filling out the survey were incented with Amazon coupons and the chance to win an Apple iPod Nano.
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Use of the medicine was measured electronically and acne severity was rated on a scale. It turned out that 89% of those in the Internet survey group adhered to their treatment, whereas only 33% in the control group did.
“Adolescents are savvy users of the Internet and other newer technologies, and we found they responded well to the online survey,” said Dr. Steve Feldman, lead author of the study, in a statement. “We believe the weekly survey may have served as a ‘virtual office visit.’ Increasing our understanding of what is needed to get teens to use the medication as prescribed will provide better treatment outcomes for patients.”
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