ABSTRACT

Although close family members of patients with a dermatological illness experience many physical, social and psychological burdens, this secondary effect is usually ignored. While burden of care and treatment costs impose extra burdens to family members, emotional stress and social restriction due to disease may cause distruptions in family affairs. Moreover, some family members may face problems at work, because of patient's care and treatment or they can not pay necessary attention to their work. This condition causes big economic losses as well as deterioration of family harmony and resolutions.

Secondary effect on family varies greatly depending on the diagnosis, duration and severity of skin disease, age of patient and, above all, harmony and relationship among the family members and the patient. For a dermatologist to be able to establish good patient and doctor relationship or increase patient compliance, he/ she must have comprehensive knowledge especially on the lives of families of patients with prevalent dermatological or inflammatory diseases. Family members, especially those who undertake care function should be accepted as active participants and should be actived to be a part of the solution about care planning and decision making.