Table I.

Dermatologist perspectives on HS patient disease journey

Characteristic (N = 30)∗	Patients with HS, n (%)
Estimated frequency of referral to dermatologists by physician type, %	n = 19
Primary care	50.0
Dermatologist	15.8
General internist	10.4
Obstetrician/gynecologist	9.2
Surgeon	7.4
Pediatrician	4.7
Urologist	2.4
Measures used to assess patients for HS†
Hurley staging	20 (66.7)
Pain VAS	11 (36.7)
HS-PGA	9 (30.0)
DLQI	5 (16.7)
None	5 (16.7)
HSSA	2 (6.7)
HiSCR	2 (6.7)
Dermatologist-reported patient understanding of HS at the first visit
Very low	8 (26.7)
Low	14 (46.7)
Average	7 (23.3)
High	–
Very high	1 (3.3)
Patient factors affecting dermatologists’ treatment choices†
Disease severity	29 (96.7)
Insurance coverage	24 (80.0)
Comorbidities	20 (66.7)
Age	18 (60.0)
Others‡	2 (6.7)
Top unmet needs for patients according to dermatologists†
Limited efficacy of available therapies	19 (63.3)
Limited treatment options available	19 (63.3)
High psychological burden of disease	10 (33.3)
Timely diagnosis of HS	8 (26.7)
Dermatologist-identified challenges with diagnosing HS†
Lack of awareness by PCPs/other physicians	29 (96.7)
Inadequate patient access to dermatologists	18 (60.0)
Lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria/tools	13 (43.3)
Difficult to rule out other potential diagnoses	8 (26.7)
Advise patients to discuss their feelings about HS with a trained mental health professional	13 (43.3)

DLQI, Dermatology Life Quality Index; HiSCR, HS Clinical Response; HS, hidradenitis suppurativa; HSSA, HS Symptom Assessment; HS-PGA, HS Physician Global Assessment; PCP, primary care provider; VAS, visual analog scale.

^∗N = 30 unless otherwise stated.

^†Survey participants could select more than one response.

^‡Other factors included the patient’s health literacy, impact on quality of life, and how difficult the patient’s HS is to treat.