Using linked electronic health data to improve eczema diagnosis and outcomes (360G-Wellcome-205039_Z_16_A)

Eczema effects 10% of adults. Despite this, and although eczema is visible, there is limited public awareness of either the existence of eczema in adults or its effects on the individual. This awareness includes the impact of eczema on a person’s physical and mental health, social lives, educational attainment and economic prosperity. In this project I will engage with adults with and without eczema in a highly interactive way to understand why adult eczema remains an “invisible visible” disease and how people perceive the impact of eczema on health and social outcomes in the long-term. This programme of work will involve six workshops around the UK using digital storytelling, art and photography to tell real stories and start conversations about eczema. Stories from the workshops will drive the content for a theatre production about eczema. The digital storytelling and art will be added to an interactive, curated website to broaden and continue the discussion around the socio- cultural aspects of adult eczema. Using a variety of creative and engaging approaches, these activities will develop a discussion about the broader consequences of having eczema, including increasing awareness and changing perceptions amongst those with and without eczema. This public engagement work will enrich research conducted in my Wellcome fellowship, using electronic health records to answer questions about long-term outcomes in eczema by understanding impacts beyond health outcomes that would present for medical attention. It will also help me and my attendees understand barriers to visibility and awareness of eczema amongst adults.