Knowledge mobilisation: a UK co-creation study to devise strategies to amend lay and practitioner atopic eczema mindlines to improve consultation experiences and self-management practices in primary care

OBJECTIVE: To devise strategies to amend lay and practitioner atopic eczema mindlines ‘collectively reinforced, internalised tacit guidelines’, to improve consultation experiences and self-management practices in primary care. DESIGN: Co-creation workshops informed by the Co:Create Coproduction Matrix. SETTING: Conference centre in central England and via remote communication. PARTICIPANTS: Lay people with, and parents of children with, atopic eczema, practitioners, a researcher and a facilitator (n=22). RESULTS: Eczema mindline amendment needs to address people and parents of children with the condition, practitioners and wider society in parallel. For lay people trust and ‘realness’ of amendment activity was vital and practitioners wanted practical, locally relevant, hints and tips, tailored, ‘no faff’ approaches. To improve consultation experiences and self-management practices, five key, consistent, evidence-based messages need to be instilled into eczema mindlines: (1) eczema is more than just dry skin, (2) eczema does not just go away, (3) moisturisers are for every day, (4) steroid creams are okay when you need them and (5) you know your child’s eczema best. CONCLUSION: This co-creation study provides original insights into what eczema knowledge should be mobilised, who needs to have this knowledge, how this should be achieved to amend existing mindlines to improve consultation experiences and self-management practices in primary care. The remaining challenge is to refine, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies developed to instil the five core messages and erase outdated or inaccurate information.