Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease that can cause intense itch and affect sleep, mental health and quality of life. In China, atypical presentations can lead to misdiagnosis, and systemic treatments such as immunosuppressants, biologics and small-molecule targeted therapies require pre-treatment screening and on-treatment safety monitoring. To assess actual service capacity, researchers conducted a nationwide cross-sectional questionnaire survey covering the full calendar year 2023. Valid responses came from 1,591 hospitals across 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including tertiary, secondary and primary hospitals; results were compared by hospital level and geographic region.

Only 23.7% of hospitals had established AD specialty clinics, with rates of 32.5% in tertiary, 9.5% in secondary and 4.1% in primary hospitals. After adjustment, Southwest China had significantly lower odds of having such clinics than Central China and North China. The overall AD diagnostic rate was 21.3%, calculated as AD cases divided by the combined number of AD and eczema cases; rates were 22.0% in tertiary, 15.6% in secondary and 9.1% in primary hospitals. After adjustment for hospital level and physician numbers, diagnostic rates were lower in Southwest, Northeast and East China than in North China, and higher in Central, Northwest and South China. Physician-assessed severity evaluation was performed in 62.1% of hospitals and patient-reported outcome measures in 48.1%. Most hospitals reported stepwise treatment (87.5%) and proactive therapy with topical medications (95.3%). For systemic therapies, 66.0% conducted pre-treatment screening and 64.0% conducted on-treatment safety monitoring; both rates were higher in tertiary hospitals and lower in South, Northwest and Southwest China after adjustment. Health education was provided by 84.5% of hospitals, most commonly oral education during consultations (94.2%) and brochures or pamphlets (72.2%).

The findings reveal persistent gaps in specialty clinics, diagnostic rate, standardized severity assessment, safety monitoring of systemic therapies and patient education, accompanied by disparities across hospital levels and regions. The authors conclude that targeted policy and institutional efforts are needed to strengthen specialized services and promote more equitable, high-quality AD care. Limitations include self-reported data from one designated respondent per hospital, underrepresentation of primary hospitals, and no differentiation among drug-specific screening protocols.

The work titled “Clinical Service Capacity for Atopic Dermatitis in China: A National Cross-Sectional Baseline Service-Capacity Assessment” was published on Skin (published on September 30, 2026).
DOI：10.2738/SKIN.2026.0031