Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, systemic, immune-mediated disease requiring multimodal care, which is crucial for raising awareness and advancing treatment. This project aimed to establish consensus among HS experts to define HS Competence Centers (HSCC) criteria using the Delphi consensus method. METHODS: Overall, 22 global HS experts (3 patient representatives and 19 healthcare professionals [HCPs]) from 16 countries across 5 continents were invited to participate. Subsequently, a three-step Delphi polling was conducted among the HS experts from 20 May 2024 to 8 July 2024. A 50% agreement was required to reach consensus. Consensus levels included strong consensus (≥ 95%), consensus (≥ 75%), majority agreement (≥ 50%) and no majority agreement (< 50%). RESULTS: In the prepolling step, 22 participants proposed 26 criteria. In step 1, 23 criteria were selected, of which 6 (23.1%) reached strong consensus, 11 (42.3%) reached consensus, and 6 (23.1%) majority agreement. The remaining 3 (11.5%) criteria proposed were rejected. In step 2, 13 of the 23 criteria (56.5%) were proposed for wording modifications. Of these, four (30.8%) retained initial wording and nine (69.2%) were modified. In step 3, 21 of the 23 criteria were identified as very important (91.3%), while 2 (8.7%) were considered less important. Among the 21 very important criteria, 2 (9.5%) reached strong consensus, i.e., essential, 12 (57.1%) reached consensus, and 7 (33.4%) had majority agreement. Overall, a set of 23 criteria (2 essential, 12 required-1st grade, 7 required-2nd grade, and 2 potential) was recommended to establish HSCC. CONCLUSIONS: This article reveals a consensus among an international group of HCPs and patients on a series of evidence-based criteria for HSCC. Standardized care, a hub and spoke model, multidisciplinary teams, specialized treatments, well-defined protocols, patient education, medical training, and robust referral systems were identified as essential/very important criteria for HSCC.
Source: Dermatology and Therapy
Authors: Angelo V. Marzano, Falk G. Bechara, Vivian Y. Shi, Antonio Martorell, Jennifer L. Hsiao, Hessel H. Van der Zee, Axel P. Villani, Afsaneh Alavi, John R. Ingram, Christopher J. Sayed, Thrasyvoulos Tzellos, Nisha Suyien Chandran, Qiang Ju, Ichiro Kurokawa, John W. Frew, Wayne P. F. Gulliver, Maria Cecilia Rivitti-Machado, Ximena Wortsman, Barry M. McGrath, Giuseppina Pintori, Valeria Jordan, Nicolas Thomas, Ivette Alarcon, Christos C. Zouboulis
Institutions: University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Ruhr University Bochum, University of Washington, Hospital de Manises, University of Southern California, Erasmus MC, Lyon 1 Université, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Mayo Clinic, Cardiff University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nordland Hospital Trust, National University of Singapore, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Renji Hospital, Meiwa Hospital, Liverpool Hospital, UNSW Sydney, Ingham Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, University of Chile, Novartis (Switzerland), Städtisches Klinikum Dessau, Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane
Language: English
Subfield: Dermatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $7,400
Funders: Novartis, Hexal AG, Novartis Pharma
OpenAlex ID: W7162185329