Authors (including presenting author) :
Lau WC (1), Chan KW (1), Leung SM (1), Kam SW (1), Tsui YC (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Physiotherapy Department, Prince of Wales Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Narrowband UVB phototherapy
Keyword 2: :
Physiotherapist-led service
Keyword 4: :
Eczema and psoriasis
Introduction :
Narrowband UVB (NB-UVB) phototherapy, delivered at wavelengths of 311–313 nm, is an established treatment for immune-mediated dermatoses, including psoriasis and eczema. At Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH), NB-UVB is delivered to dermatological patients within a physiotherapist-led service. Physiotherapists play a pivotal role by performing minimal erythema dose (MED) testing, individualising starting doses, titrating treatment according to erythema response, and providing patient education. However, local outcome data remain limited. This project describes an 11-case review of dermatologist-referred patients receiving NB-UVB under physiotherapist supervision, with outcomes quantified by percentage body surface area (%BSA) involvement
Objectives :
1. To evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapist-led NB-UVB phototherapy in dermatological patients
2. To analyse outcomes using BSA (Body surface area)
Methodology :
This retrospective descriptive case review included 11 patients treated with NB-UVB in the dermatology physiotherapy service of PWH. Patients were referred by dermatologists and managed by physiotherapists using Daavlin 3 series SP311/350-24/24 at 311–313 nm, following the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommended dosage. Inclusion criteria were a photo-responsive skin condition, stable medical therapy and ability to attend two sessions per week for 6–12 weeks, while patients with recent changes in anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive medication or a history of skin cancer were excluded. The primary outcome was change in %BSA from baseline to end of treatment.
Result & Outcome :
Eleven patients were included (6 males, 5 females) with a mean age of 56 years (range 30–87). Diagnoses comprised discoid eczema, atopic eczema, chronic eczema, chronic plaque psoriasis and guttate psoriasis. The mean number of NB-UVB sessions per patient was 24 (range 4–42), with cumulative energy from 2,800 mJ to 121,492 mJ, depending on individualised treatment duration. All data were exported to SPSS (version 31.0.1.0) for analysis.
The paired t-test showed a statistically significant reduction in %BSA after NB-UVB, with mean BSA decreasing from 20.45% (SD 21.99) pre-treatment to 5.59% (SD 6.75) post-treatment; the mean difference was 14.86 percentage points (95% CI 0.20–29.52), t(10) = 2.26, two-tailed p = 0.047. This indicates that NB-UVB is associated with a statistically significant improvement in %BSA in dermatological patients within a physiotherapist-led service. However, the sample size is limited and variability between patients is high. Future studies with larger samples and longer follow-up are recommended to evaluate the long term effect of NB-UVB.
