We have developed evidence-based online interventions for eczema self-management and shown that these provide a useful, sustained benefit in eczema severity over 12 months. Although the improvement in eczema resulting from access to interventions is modest, this benefit is low cost and with no identifiable harms. If this was a drug treatment, we would prescribe it. For now, we are maintaining ‘ownership’ (i.e. control of content) of the ECO interventions. Our dissemination strategy is in partnership with eczema charities to raise awareness and to embed intervention weblinks into clinical practice. There will be an ongoing challenge of sustainability after the research funding is finished, but we are committed to keeping the interventions freely available for as long as possible.
Process evaluation suggests that these benefits arise in part due to enabling young people and parents/carers of children to feel more confident in managing their eczema and probably also because of understanding around the different treatments and trigger avoidance.
The core intervention message of ‘two treatments used well’, that is, ‘flare control creams’ (topical anti-inflammatories) to get control of eczema and ‘moisturising creams’ (emollients) to keep control of eczema, seems likely to have contributed to the success of the interventions and can be promoted in a variety of contexts, such as within consultations as well as in the intervention. For people with repeated flares, weekend therapy to prevent flare-ups is a safe and effective strategy.