The American Academy of Dermatology has a good patient information handout on Scabies. It's very well done, and provides useful into.
I'd like to give it to patients .. and I sometimes do .. but I usually hesitate – or read them sections I don't agree with. Like the treatment: "See a dermatologist as soon as possible to begin treatment."
Huh? Why would it be necessary to see a dermatologist to treat scabies? Primary care physicians see and treat scabies every day.
Alas — the line between marketing and medicine blurs once again. Sure .. the American Academy of Dermatology is gonna suggest that people see a dermatologist. No surprise there, I suppose .. but is it good medicine? In fact, I think that it's WORSE medicine than seeing the primary care physician. We treat the whole family … and scabies is one that can certainly get the whole family.
So the advice of a specialty organization suggests that patietns do something that is better for their business but worse for patient care. How hard would it have been to say "see your physician" instead?
