Eczema, which causes red and itchy skin, affects around one in five children. According to the new guidance, the NHS should stop providing a certain type of eczema treatment to children.
After reviewing the data, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided that bath emollients are not clinically or cost-effective for children.
The Bathe experiment, which last a year, found that adding emollient components to the bath gave no significant benefit above routine eczema therapy. While emollient bath additives may not worsen eczema, Nice claims that the prescription of an “ineffective” product leads to “unnecessary burdens” on patients and carers in terms of getting and utilizing the products.
However, it stated that certain children may benefit from bath emollients, which may still be bought over the counter if desired.
According to Nice’s suggestions, children can and should continue to use emollients and/or emollient wash products instead of soap. The revised Nice draft guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of atopic eczema in children under the age of 12 is currently open for public comment.
Nice stated the guidance is consistent with NHS England’s 2019 recommendation that emollient bath additives not be regularly given. Eczema, which causes red and itchy skin, affects about one in every five children and can create flare-ups or be a continuous situation.