Self-assessment of patients’ knowledge on acne vulgaris

Introduction. Acne vulgaris is a chronic disorder connected with hyper-secretion of sebaceous glands affecting people between 12 and
40 years old.

Aim of the study. The aim of the study was self-assessment of patients’ knowledge on acne vulgaris.

Material and methods. The study included 204 patients with acne vulgaris under a care of dermatology out- patient clinic in Bialystok. The
self-administered questionnaire and Acne Global Severity Scale was used in the present study.

Results. Face was more often localization of acne (97.5%). Nearly 43.1% assessed the intensity of skin lesions as a moderate, and 47.1% as
a mild. 34.8% of respondents had the second degree of the lesions’ intensity in according to Acne Global Severity Scale. No significant
correlations between the intensity of acne lesions and age and gender were found. Overall 71.1% of patients said that their knowledge was
not sufficient, and only 10.3% declared no knowledge in this field. However, after the analysis of knowledge on the intensity of lesions, 68% with the first degree of lesions assessed their knowledge as not quite a good, 76% with the second degree, and 69% with the third degree,
respectively. Almost 86.3% of respondents declared that the development of disease is involved with a puberty period, 43.6% oily skin,
36.3% genetics, and 35.3% stress. 82.8% patients thought that basic method of acne lesions’ relief were drugs and cosmetics. 64.7% of
respondents considered make-up as a popular method of the ‘masking’ acne lesions. About 51% of patients talked with friends, 47.5%
with parents, and 31.9% physicians on the problems with acne vulgaris. More than half (54.4%) of the surveyed knew on acne from
media, 45.1% from physician, and 35.8% from friends.

Conclusions. The patients’ knowledge on acne vulgaris was insufficient and did not relate to the intensity of skin lesions. Most patients had
knowledge on acne from media. It is recommended to conduct the education among adolescents on therapy and acne care.

Nursing Topics 2011; 19 (3): 288–295