AGA Practitioner Challenges: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Survey
July 2023
in “
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology
”
TLDR Practitioners treating hair loss need better education and resources to overcome challenges like commercial bias and ethical dilemmas.
The document presents three summaries of a pilot survey involving 34 practitioners treating Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA). The survey found that practitioners face challenges due to a lack of AGA-specific education and the presence of commercial biases. For example, 42% of participants were misled by false statements about a study, and 26% were unsure. The survey also revealed that 93% of participants believed informed consent was important, and 77% considered psychological distress significant in AGA patients. However, practitioners also faced ethical dilemmas, such as the pressure to offer interventions with limited or unclear efficacy. The study concluded that further non-commercially funded research is needed, and that research scrutiny tools and shared-decision making resources may be valuable to improve AGA care.