Background: Despite the large availability of caregivers, there are no standardized care pathways for
patients with acne. This increases the risk of ineffective care and unnecessary medicalizing. To better
understand how to provide effective, efficient, and patient-satisfying care, it is necessary to gain
insights into the patient journey through acne healthcare services.
Objective: To explore the patient journeys, assessed by a series of consecutive steps through
acne healthcare.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Dutch individuals with acne.
Results: A total of 371 respondents completed the questionnaire. Data revealed 58 different pathways
through acne healthcare services. Patient with severe acne had a stronger tendency to seek professional
care than those with mild acne (p<.05). The highest proportion of clinically relevant improvement
was found in patients treated by dermatologists, compared to respondents treated by
beauticians, p¼.023 and dermal therapists, p¼.018.
Conclusions: Mapping the patient journeys contributed to a better understanding of the gap
between professional guidelines and the experiences of patients. Identifying these areas of care
implies that there is potential to bring acne care services more in line with the patients’ needs.
Further research is recommended; for example by comparing the clinical treatment outcomes of multiple
sequences of caregivers.
