Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37113097›Full record

ArticleSkin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI)2023

The impact of the COVID-19 surge on phototherapy in Taiwan: Focusing on the patient profile, adherence, and attitude before and after the surge.

Kuan-Yu Chu, Cheng-Che E Lan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. AI in Medical Questionnaires: Scoping ReviewJournal of medical Internet research · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. The impact of the COVID-19 surge on phototherapy in Taiwan: Focusing on the patient profile, adherence, and attitude before and after the surge.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Kuan-Yu ChuDepartment of Dermatology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8255-3615
Cheng-Che E LanDepartment of Dermatology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Funding

Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital KMUH110-OR62
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused changes in the medical practice. However, it is unclear whether the patients receiving phototherapy for their dermatoses have been affected.

objectivesThis study aimed to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on phototherapy, focusing on the patient profile, adherence, and attitude before and after the surge.

methodsThe study encompassed the time 5 months prior to and after the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic (from May to July, 2021), resulting in the temporary closure of our phototherapeutic unit.

resultsNine hundred eighty-one patients received phototherapy during this period. Vitiligo, psoriasis (Ps), and atopic dermatitis (AD) represented the groups with the highest patient numbers. For vitiligo, Ps and AD, 39.6%, 41.9%, and 28.4% of the patients resumed phototherapy after the pandemic-related shutdown (PRS). No significant difference was noted in age, gender, and number of weekly sessions between those who resumed or stopped phototherapy after PRS among three groups. Patients who resumed phototherapy after PRS tended to receive more weekly sessions of phototherapy than those who initiated after PRS. Additionally, patients who resumed phototherapy showed no significant difference in the number of weekly sessions before and after PRS.

conclusionsThis study reveals a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients undergoing phototherapy. Although the patient number remained similar before and after PRS, a significant portion of patients discontinued phototherapy after PRS. New strategies and continued education are needed to improve patient management in times of pandemic.

Indexed as

COVID-19Dermatitis, AtopicPsoriasisUltraviolet TherapyVitiligoHumansPandemicsPhototherapyTaiwanatopic dermatitisCOVID-19 pandemicphototherapypsoriasisvitiligo

Identifiers

PMID37113097
PMCPMC10234173

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.