Abstract
Background: Phototherapy is an effective and relatively safe treatment for many skin diseases. Recent concern has focused on an apparent decline in phototherapy usage in the US. Objective: To determine the current state of phototherapy as practiced globally. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of members of the Photomedicine Society. Results: Data derived from responses of 96 members showed all to have been in practice for more than five years, providing phototherapy within two years of completing residency. Usage of narrow-band ultraviolet B, ultraviolet A-1 (UVA-1), bath-psoralens; plus UVA, and photodynamic therapy was markedly greater among phototherapists in Europe compared to their counterparts in North America and Asia. Conclusions: Worldwide, there are fewer younger dermatologists who incorporate phototherapy in their practices. European phototherapists have led the world in usage of the newer phototherapy modalities.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5-7 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Photodermatology Photoimmunology and Photomedicine |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2003 |
Keywords
- PUVA photochemotherapy
- Photodynamic therapy
- Phototherapy
- The Photomedicine Society
- UVA-1 phototherapy
- UVB phototherapy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Dermatology