Low Trend for VZV-Associated Disease Patients to Visit Neurologists

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster (HZ) is a skin disease that can also cause virus-infectious peripheral neuropathies. Despite this, there is limited information on patient preferences for seeking medical attention for HZ and zoster-associated pain (ZAP). Our study aimed to evaluate how frequently patients with ZAP choose to visit neurologists for their symptoms. METHODS: This study conducted a retrospective review of electronic health records in three general hospitals from January 2017 to June 2022. Using association rule mining, the study analyzed referral behaviors. RESULTS: We identified 33,633 patients with 111,488 outpatient visits over 5.5 years. The study found that the majority of patients (74.77–91.22%) visited dermatologists during their first outpatient visit, while only a small percentage (0.86–1.47%) preferred to consult a neurologist. The proportion of patients referred to a specialist during their medical visit varied significantly between different specialties within the same hospital (p <0.05) and even within the same specialty (p<0.05). There was a weak association (Lift:1.00–1.17) of referral behaviors between dermatology and neurology. Across the three hospitals, the average number of visits to a neurologist for ZAP was 1.42–2.49, with an average electronic health record duration of 11–15 days per patient. After consulting with a neurologist, some patients were referred to other specialists. CONCLUSION: It was observed that patients with HZ and ZAP tended to visit a variety of specialists, with only a small number seeking the assistance of neurologists. However, from the perspective of neuroprotection, it is the duty of neurologists to provide more means.