French People and Skin Diseases

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
IN DERMATOLOGY, a good public health policy requires not only epidemiological data but also an assessment of the population's viewpoint on the burden of skin disorders. Such an assessment, however, is not available in most countries. The preparation of the 20th World Congress of Dermatology held in July 2002 in Paris provided the community of French dermatologists, represented by the French Society of Dermatology and the organizing committee of the congress, to conduct a large survey among the French population in April 2002. It was conducted with the Taylor Nelson Sofres Institute, which has developed high-quality surveys for various medical specialties for more than 20 years.1-9 Of course, the reliability of the general public's diagnosis of skin disorders is questionable. Several published studies have shown that internists and family physicians do not reliably diagnose cutaneous illnesses.10-12 So, how good is an untrained person? This study does not claim to have epidemiological value; rather, our scientific purpose was, through the head of the family, to evaluate the population's viewpoint on the prevalence, management, and impact of main dermatologic disorders.