Internet-based patient education sessions – specifically, “virtual counseling” – appear to be an effective method of improving general knowledge about acne among adolescents, according to Mr. William Tuong and his associates.
To compare the effectiveness of approaches in improving patient knowledge of acne vulgaris, the researchers instructed 97 high school students to visit either a standard website or an automated counseling website to learn about acne, and submit a multiple-choice questionnaire designed to assess any changes in acne knowledge.
Both groups demonstrated significantly improved knowledge after a 12-week follow-up, although the automated counseling website group rated the educational material more useful and more enjoyable to view than did the standard website group.
Read the full article at American Journal of Clinical Dermatology (2015;55-60 [doi:10.1007/s40257-014-0104-6]).