Publications
Interested in discovering more about the work we're doing?
During the Eczema Care Online (ECO) project we're making sure we share information about the methods we're using as well as any results. This page brings together our research papers, which are free to access. We've also created additional content to accompany some papers, this includes plain english summaries and blog posts, the links for these can be found below.
Publications from the ECO programme grants
Supporting self-care for eczema in the community: the Eczema Care Online research programme including two RCTs
Muller I, Stuart B, Sach T, Yardley L, Greenwell K, Becque T, et al.
Programme Grants Appl Res 2025;13(03).
Evidence to practice – lessons learnt in developing an implementation strategy for an online digital health intervention (Eczema Care Online)
Laura Howells, Kim S. Thomas, Miriam Santer, Ingrid Muller, Kate Greenwell, Amanda Roberts, Hywel C. Williams, Jane Harvey, Stephanie J. Lax, Natasha K. Rogers, Tracey H. Sach, Sandra Lawton, Mary Steele, Katy Sivyer, Julie Hooper, Amina Ahmed, Sylvia Wilczynska, Sinead Langan & Paul Leighton
BMC Health Services Research volume 25, Article number: 187 (2025)
Online behavioural interventions for children and young people with eczema: Quantitative evaluation
Kate Greenwell, Taeko Becque, Katy Sivyer, Mary Steele, James Denison-Day, Laura M Howells, Matthew J Ridd, Amanda Roberts, Sandra Lawton, Sinéad M Langan, Julie Hooper, Sylvia Wilczynska, Gareth Griffiths, Tracey H Sach, Paul Little, Hywel Williams, Kim S Thomas, Lucy Yardley, Ingrid Muller, Miriam Santer, Beth Stuart
Br J Gen Pract. 2024 Feb 5:BJGP.2023.0411. doi: 10.3399/BJGP.2023.0411. Online ahead of print.
Plain English Summary
Exchange Magazine - Spring 2023
Introducing Eczema Care Online, pg 25-28
Read the article
Atopic eczema in primary care: evidence update and implications for practice
Miriam Santer, Matthew J Ridd, Jane Harvey, Stephanie Lax, Ingrid Muller, Amanda Roberts and Kim S Thomas
British Journal of General Practice 2024; 74 (738): 40-42.
doi.org/10.3399/bjgp24X736101
Cost-effectiveness of two online interventions supporting self-care for eczema for parents/carers and young people
Sach TH, Onoja M, Clarke H, Santer M, Muller I, Becque T, Stuart B, Hooper J, Steele M, Wilczynska S, Ridd MJ, Roberts A, Ahmed A, Yardley L, Little P, Greenwell K, Sivyer K, Nuttall J, Griffiths G, Lawton S, Langan SM, Howells L, Leighton P, Williams HC, Thomas KS.
Eur J Health Econ (2024). doi.org/10.1007/s10198-023-01649-9
The long-term safety of topical corticosteroids in atopic dermatitis: A systematic review
Harvey J, Lax SJ, Lowe A, Santer M, Lawton S, Langan SM, Roberts A, Stuart B, Williams HC, Thomas KS.
Skin Health Dis. 2023 Aug 16;3(5):e268. doi: 10.1002/ski2.268.
Topical corticosteroid withdrawal syndrome: the patient community call for high-quality research, clear definitions and diagnostic criteria
Howells L, Broome H, Burleigh A, Hammond H, Ismail F, Proctor A, Roberts A, Thomas K, Leighton P
British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 188, Issue 2, February 2023
“Eczema shouldn’t control you; you should control eczema”: qualitative process evaluation of online behavioural interventions to support young people and parents/carers of children with eczema
Greenwell K, Sivyer K, Howells LM, Steele M, Ridd MJ,Roberts A, Ahmed A,Lawton S, Langan SM et al.
British Journal of Dermatology, ljac115
Plain English Summary
Eczema Care Online behavioural interventions to support self-care for children and young people: two independent, pragmatic, randomised controlled trials
Santer M, Muller I, Becque T, Stuart B, Hooper J, Steele M, Wilczynska S, Sach TH, Ridd MJ, Roberts A, Ahmed A, Yardley L, Little P, Greenwell K, Sivyer K, Nuttall J, Griffiths G, Lawton S, Langan SM, Howells LM, Leighton P, C Williams HC, Thomas KS
BMJ 2022;379:e072007
Supporting families managing childhood eczema: developing and optimising eczema care online using qualitative research
Sivyer K, Teasdale E, Greenwell K, Steele M, Ghio D, Ridd MJ, Roberts A, Chalmers JR, Lawton S, Langan SM, Cowdell F, Le Roux E, Wilczynska S, Williams HC, Thomas KS, Yardley L, Santer M, Muller I. Br J Gen Pract. 2022 Feb 10:BJGP.2021.0503. doi: 10.3399/BJGP.2021.0503. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35577586
Plain English Summary
Eczema Care Online: development and qualitative optimisation of an online behavioural intervention to support self-management in young people with eczema
Greenwell K, Ghio D, Sivyer K, Steele M, Teasdale E, Ridd MJ, Roberts A, Chalmers JR, Lawton S, Langan S, Cowdell F, Le Roux E, Wilczynska S, Jones H, Whittaker E, Williams HC, Thomas KS, Yardley L, Santer M, Muller I. BMJ Open. 2022 Apr 20;12(4):e056867. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056867.
Plain English Summary
Strategies for using topical corticosteroids in children and adults with eczema
Lax SJ, Harvey J, Axon E, Howells L, Santer M, Ridd MJ, Lawton S, Langan S, Roberts A, Ahmed A, Muller I, Ming LC, Panda S, Chernyshov P, Carter B, Williams HC, Thomas KS, Chalmers JR.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Mar 11;3(3):CD013356. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013356.pub2.
Visual Summary
Plain English Summary
Safety of topical corticosteroids in atopic eczema: an umbrella review Axon E, Chalmers JR, Santer M, Ridd MJ, Lawton S, Langan SM, Grindlay DJ, Muller I, Roberts A, Ahmed A, Williams HC. BMJ open. 2021
How has the COVID‐19 pandemic affected eczema self‐management and help seeking? A qualitative interview study with young people and parents/carers of children with eczema. Steele M, Howells L, Santer M, Sivyer K, Lawton S, Roberts A, Teasdale E, Muller I, Greenwell K.Skin Health and Disease. 2021
Plain English summary
Children’s Views and Experiences of Treatment Adherence and Parent/Child Co-Management in Eczema: A Qualitative 糖心原创. Teasdale E, Sivyer K, Muller I, Ghio D, Roberts A, Lawton S, Santer M. Children (Basel) 2021.
Plain English summary
Taking charge of eczema self-management: a qualitative interview study with young people with eczema. Greenwell K, Ghio D, Muller I, Roberts A, McNiven A, Lawton S, Santer M. Taking charge of eczema self-management: a qualitative interview study with young people with eczema.
BMJ Open 2021
What are young people’s experiences of managing eczema? (Blog post)
Psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults with eczema: A secondary analysis of qualitative data to inform a behaviour change intervention. Ghio D, Greenwell K, Muller I, Roberts A, McNiven A, Santer M.Ghio D, Greenwell K, Muller I, Roberts A, McNiven A, Santer M. British Journal of Health Psychology. 2020
Exploring beyond the skin (Blog post)
Combining qualitative research with PPI: reflections on using the person-based approach for developing behavioural interventions. Muller I, Santer M, Morrison L, Morton K, Roberts A, Rice C, Williams M, Yardley L.
Research Involvement and Engagement. 2019
Views and experiences of managing eczema: systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Teasdale E, Muller I, Sivyer K, Ghio D, Greenwell K, Wilczynska S, Roberts A, Ridd MJ, Francis N, Yardley L, Thomas KS, Santer M. Br J Dermatol. 2020
“It's like the bad guy in a movie who just doesn't die”: A qualitative exploration of young people's adaptation to eczema and implications for self‐care. Ghio D, Muller I, Greenwell K, Roberts A, McNiven A, Langan SM, Santer M. Br J Dermatol. 2019
Supporting self-care for eczema: protocol for two randomised controlled trials of ECO (Eczema Care Online) interventions for young people and parents/carers Muller I, Stuart B, Sach T, Hooper J, Wilczynska S, Steele M, Greenwell K, Sivyer K, Yardley L, Williams HC, Chalmers JR, Leighton P, Howells LM, Ridd MJ, Lawton S, Griffiths G, Nuttall J, Langan SM, Roberts A, Ahmed A, Kirk H, Becque T, Little P, Thomas KS, Santer M. BMJ Open 2021
Also see our Statistical Analysis Plan
What's new in atopic eczema? An analysis of systematic reviews published in 2018 (Clin Exp Dermatol.)
What's new in atopic eczema? An analysis of systematic reviews published in 2017 (Clin Exp Dermatol.)
What's new in atopic eczema? An analysis of systematic reviews published in 2016 (Clin Exp Dermatol.)
Publications that have informed the development of the ECO programme grant
Nankervis H, Thomas KS, Delamere FM, Barbarot S, Rogers NK, Williams HC (2016).
Scoping systematic review of treatments for eczema
Yardley, L, Morrison, L , Bradbury , K and Muller, I (2015).
The person-based approach to intervention development: application to digital health-related behaviour change interventions.
Santer, M., Muller, I., Yardley, L., Burgess, H., Selinger, H., Stuart, B. L., & Little, P. (2014).
Supporting Self-Care for Families of Children With Eczema With a Web-Based Intervention Plus Health Care Professional Support: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Santer, M., Burgess, H., Yardley, L., Ersser, S., Lewis-Jones, S., Muller, I., Hugh, C., Little, P. (2013)
Managing childhood eczema: qualitative study exploring carers’ experiences of barriers and facilitators to treatment adherence.
Santer, M., Burgess, H., Yardley, L., Ersser, S., Lewis-Jones, S., Muller, I., Hugh, C., Little, P. (2012).
Experiences of carers managing childhood eczema and their views on its treatment: qualitative study.