Abstract

Advocacy impact: A cross-sectional review of public health laws in dermatology over the past three years

Claire Baptiste, MPH¹, Emily Woolhiser, BS², Sophia Neman, BA³, Victoria Wyant, MPH, MA, CPH⁴, W. Austin Wyant, MD, MSc⁴ and John Trinidad, MD, MPH, FAAD⁵
(1)Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, (2)Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, MO, (3)Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, (4)University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, (5)Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo

Background: Advocacy efforts by the American Academy of Dermatology, along with state and local dermatology societies, have been instrumental in shaping public health law and promoting skin health. Understanding the impact of these advocacy efforts on public health laws is crucial for informing future strategies and fostering collaborative engagement within the dermatological community.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of public health laws in dermatology over the past three years using Lexis Nexis. Our search targeted specific dermatologic conditions and procedures, focusing on top 20 dermatology ICD codes. These terms were “Contact dermatitis”, “Psoriasis”, “Skin cancer”, and others¹. We filtered results to include only public health laws and excluded those unrelated to dermatology (i.e., related to esthetics).

Results: Our analysis identified 394 laws from 2021 to 2023, of which 43 met our inclusion criteria. Laws were further categorized: 30.2% funding (n=13), 20.6% awareness (n=9), 16.3% disabilities (n=7), 9.3% product regulation (n=4), 18.6% tanning regulations/sunscreen (n=8), and 4.7% documentation/reporting (n=2). Geographical analysis revealed laws across 25 states and territories with Puerto Rico endorsing the most (n=5), followed by California (n=4), Kentucky (n=3), and Hawaii (n=3).

Conclusion: The review underscores the importance of public health laws in dermatology practice and their role in addressing current and emerging public health challenges. Continued collaboration between dermatologists, policymakers, and the public is essential to advancing initiatives aimed at improving skin health and rebuilding trust in public health and science.

Citation:
1. Top 20 dermatology ICD-9 to ICD-10 codes. CureMD. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.curemd.com/tutorials/codes-pdf/dermatology.pdf.

Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines Public health or related public policy Public health or related research