• C Keyworth, P A Nelson, A Chisholm, C E M Griffiths, L Cordingley, C Bundy, and Identification and Management of Psoriasis-Associated Co-morbidiTy (IMPACT) team.
• Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K.
• Br. J. Dermatol. 2014 Sep 1;171(3):602-8.

BackgroundPsoriasis is associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviours which contribute to psoriasis onset and severity. Health professionals who manage patients with psoriasis are well placed to support lifestyle change but few feel confident to do so. Little is known about the extent to which health promotion and lifestyle behaviour change (LBC) skills are included within post-qualification training curricula.ObjectivesThis study aimed to systematically examine the content of post-qualification U.K. training curricula for health professionals across General Practice and Dermatology for evidence of behaviour change skills relating to the promotion of healthy lifestyles.MethodsCore curricula documents from professional organizations were analysed for content to examine the extent to which curricula: (1) mentioned health promotion and LBC as part of the professional role; and/or (2) included health promotion and LBC as explicit training competencies or requirements for qualification.ResultsOf the 11 core curricula documents analysed, we found 67 occurrences of terms related to LBC and health promotion. Most were in the General Practitioner curriculum (n = 42; 62·7%), followed by the Dermatology Specialist Nurse curriculum (n = 14; 20·9%) and Dermatologist curriculum (n = 11; 16·4%). No occurrences were found in the General Practitioner with a Special Interest in Dermatology curriculum. LBC knowledge, skills and attitudes were not clearly specified and only basic level LBC competencies were included.ConclusionsDevelopment of post-qualification curricula would ensure health professionals are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to support LBC for patients with psoriasis. This is of particular relevance, given the evidence linking unhealthy lifestyles with psoriasis outcomes.© 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

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