Nail Disease: Clinical Decisions among Portuguese Dermatologists and Family Physicians

Onychomycosis is one of the most common nail disorders and may be difficult to distinguish from other causes of nail dystrophy, based on clinical grounds alone. With this study, we aimed to describe the use of fungal testing by dermatologists and family physicians in their daily current practice, analyze their respective familiarity with nail disease diagnosis, and ultimately treatment decision-making by both groups. An online survey was distributed among Portuguese dermatologists, trainees, and family physicians by email. The survey focused on the diagnostic impression, use of diagnostic methods to confirm a fungal infection, and the subsequent assessment of treatment. One hundred fifty-one responses were obtained, 60 (39.7%) from dermatologists and 91 (60.3%) from family physicians; 98.3% of dermatologists mentioned usually requesting a fungal testing at their local institution or outside, while this percentage was 50.5% among family physicians ( p < 0.001). Regarding the diagnosis, the median of correct diagnosis by the dermatologist group was higher (10/15) than the family physicians (6/15). Considering the treatment strategy, we observed that in the dermatologists’ group it would result in unnecessary treatment in a median of 2 cases, while in the family physicians’ group, in a median of 4 cases.