Why Do Patients in the United States Seek Care from Dermatologists?

Abstract

Introduction: While the diagnoses made at visits to the dermatologist are well characterized, the reasons patients visit the dermatologists are not well described. Understanding why patients present to dermatologists could be helpful in identifying patients’ unmet needs and developing outreach programs to improve patients’ access to care. The purpose of this study is to characterize the reasons why US patients sought medical attention from dermatologists. Methods: We evaluated the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) between 2007 and 2018, the most recent years available, to characterize the most common reasons patients visit the dermatologist. Results: Sixty-four thousand records were identified in the NAMCS estimating 1.55 billion visits to the dermatologist in the US during the study period. The most common reasons for visits were skin examination (7.8%), skin lesion (7.5%), and discoloration/abnormal pigmentation (7.3%). For patients ≤ 18 years, the most common reasons for visits were acne (28%), warts (7.7%), and skin rash (6.4%). For patients 19–65 years and ≥ 66 years, skin examinations (7.7%) and skin lesions (10%) were the most common reasons for visits to dermatologists, respectively. Conclusion: By identifying the most common reasons for visits to the dermatologist, we can improve our understanding of a patient’s needs and appropriate health outreach resources to improve patients’ access to care.