Investigation on skin-protective clothing that addresses needs of epidermolysis bullosa patients/children with epidermolysis bullosa and their parents

Abstract

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare inherited skin disorder characterised by skin fragility and blistering. In consideration of the daily wound caring issues of patients with EB, the aim of this study is to systematically investigating their needs in a functional apparel that alleviates the symptoms of EB through interviews with EB patients and children with EB and their parents so that they can express their concerns about treatment and aesthetics and analysing feedback from their use of wound healing garments that our research team had previously designed. The results showed that it is undoubted that the wound healing garment fulfilled the needs for functionality yet also aesthetics in apparel for EB patients. A proposed apparel system from the results of the investigation will not only be applicable to EB patients, but could also apply to other patients with skin diseases who desire to enhance the wound healing process and receive better protection against wounds and infections. The findings in this paper could therefore contribute to future apparel based materials development and research in the medical field.