Patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis are only using a quarter the amount of the emollient they should be, according to Scottish researchers.

The unexpected result is one of several in their analysis of 844 patients (median age 25, 53% female) with dermatitis severe enough to require repeated referrals to secondary care.

For each patient, topical prescriptions made by NHS Tayside staff, a health district in Scotland, and filled by patients were assessed over a year.

Surprised by the results, the researchers validated them in a separate later cohort of patients and reported similar findings, they said in the British Journal of Dermatology.