Paula Renouf and Diana Purvis

Paediatric Dermatology in Primary Care: Getting the diagnosis and treatment right

This interactive practical case-based session is for clinicians who diagnose and manage skin conditions in children. Certain conditions can be more competently managed in primary care in order to prevent family distress, loss of school and work time, unnecessary secondary complications, hospitalisation and tertiary referral whilst others require prompt referral to specialist care for treatment.

a) Atopic dermatitis  is one of the most commonly managed conditions in NZ children yet treatment is often still poorly understood by families. How can clinicians prescribe more effectively and provide more convincing information and guidance about treatment and complementary alternative treatments often sought?
b) Tinea unguium, tinea capitis:  what is best practice for diagnosis and management of dermatophyte infections of the hair and nails and what complications can arise from delayed diagnosis and sub-optimal management?
c) Warts:  is there a magic cure?  What does work and how can we reassure parents and schools?
d) Streaking dermatitis:  is it cellulitis or a  contact dermatitis such as phytophotodermatitis and rhus dermatitis: can you distinguish between these?
 e) Infantile haemangiomas:  what are the criteria for referral to Paediatric Dermatology.

Biography: Paula lectures at the University of Auckland in post graduate nursing courses; Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning, and Primary health care of Children and Adolescents. She has 16 years of NP (prescribing) experience in managing the gamut of primary care presentations in  0-20 years old clients in NZ and abroad. She had a case load of 1800 children/adolescents for ten years in a Latin- American immigrant clinic. In NZ she has worked in the KidzFirst Registrar team in Emergency Care, in a large faculty General Practice, and in a PHO. She currently works in a Youth Justice Residence and volunteers at the Refugee Centre doing initial health assessments on children and young people.

Biography: Diana is a Paediatric Dermatologist at Starship Children’s Health. After initially qualifying as a paediatrician, she then completed a second fellowship in Dermatology, including spending 2 years training in the Paediatric Dermatology Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London. She is one of only a handful of paediatric dermatologists internationally to hold dual fellowships. Her areas of interest include eczema, acne, birthmarks and genodermatoses. She consults in private practice at Auckland Dermatology in Epsom Auckland.