INTRODUCTION: @entity1 information leaflets (PILs) are an important source of information for @entity1 postoperatively. There are currently no nationally agreed standards by dermatologists for postoperative advice following skin surgery. AIM: To assess the common themes and areas of variation in advice given in PILs after skin surgery across all @entity283 ( @entity283 ) hospitals in England and Wales. METHODS: All acute trusts in England (n  =  159) and local health boards in Wales (n  =  7) were requested to provide their postoperative dermatological PILs for general sutured wound care or excision biopsy. Eight preselected parameters were assessed: minimum dressing duration, duration of pressing on a @entity548 wound, @entity86 , explanation of @entity281 signs, application of petroleum jelly, scarring, whom to contact if there is a problem, and the recommended postoperative time for abstaining from active exercise. RESULTS: PILs were received from 137 different dermatology departments belonging to 127/166 (76.5%) organisations across England and Wales. Of these, 102 PILs gave a specific duration for dressings: 45/102 (44.1%) advised a minimum of 48  h, but 28/102 (27.5%) recommended leaving dressings in place until suture removal. Regarding duration of pressing on a @entity548 wound, 117 PILs gave advice, with the most common recommendation being 15  min (30/117, 25.6%), followed closely by 10  min (26/117, 22.2%). Of the 137 PILs received, 125 gave advice regarding @entity86 , with @entity1443 alone being the most common recommendation (24/125, 19.2%). For the remaining parameters, 111/137 (81.0%) PILs described >=   2 signs of @entity281 , 42/137 (30.7%) recommended the application of petroleum jelly, 65/137 (47.4%) mentioned scarring, 137/137 (100%) highlighted whom to contact if there were postoperative problems and 87/137 (63.5%) PILs gave advice regarding postoperative abstinence from active exercise. CONCLUSIONS: The advice given in dermatology postoperative PILs across England and Wales is highly variable. A nationally agreed template or set of postoperative advice should be considered to improve consistency.

Dermatological postoperative XXXX information leaflets: is it time for more uniformity?

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'Patient'] @entity283 :: ('OMIM:603663', 'Disease') :: ['NHS', 'National Health Service'] @entity548 :: ('MESH:D006470', 'Disease') :: ['bleeding'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['infection'] @entity86 :: ('MESH:D019106', 'Disease') :: ['postoperative analgesia'] @entity1443 :: ('MESH:D000082', 'Chemical') :: ['paracetamol']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['patient']
