Realising Realistic Medicine by enhancing Patient-Centred Care: The Scottish Photobiology Service’s Approach to Engaging Patients with Photosensitivity Disorders

TY - JOUR

T1 - Realising Realistic Medicine by enhancing Patient-Centred Care

T2 - The Scottish Photobiology Service’s Approach to Engaging Patients with Photosensitivity Disorders

AU - O'Reilly, Marese

AU - Logan, Stephanie

AU - Yule, Susan

AU - Mountain, Rodney

AU - Eadie, Ewan

AU - Dawe, Robert

AU - Ibbotson, Sally

N1 - Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

PY - 2025/9

Y1 - 2025/9

N2 - The Scottish Photobiology Service (SPS), hosted in the Photobiology Unit at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. Dedicated to providing diagnostic and therapeutic services for individuals with cutaneous photosensitivity disorders, the SPS has consistently sought to improve patient care. In 2015, the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, published a national report entitled ‘Realistic Medicine’, which challenged medical practitioners to improve patient care through the development of personalised approaches, with patients placed at the centre of their care. In 2019, the SPS initiated a patient engagement programme aimed at better understanding the needs of patients with photosensitivity conditions, underpinning the objectives of the Realistic Medicine concept. This article outlines the development, implementation and outcomes of this initiative, which has become a core function of the service. Through ongoing collaboration with patients and staff, the programme has informed service improvements, addressed key issues such as referral delays, peer support and educational resources, and fostered an inclusive approach to care.

AB - The Scottish Photobiology Service (SPS), hosted in the Photobiology Unit at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. Dedicated to providing diagnostic and therapeutic services for individuals with cutaneous photosensitivity disorders, the SPS has consistently sought to improve patient care. In 2015, the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, published a national report entitled ‘Realistic Medicine’, which challenged medical practitioners to improve patient care through the development of personalised approaches, with patients placed at the centre of their care. In 2019, the SPS initiated a patient engagement programme aimed at better understanding the needs of patients with photosensitivity conditions, underpinning the objectives of the Realistic Medicine concept. This article outlines the development, implementation and outcomes of this initiative, which has become a core function of the service. Through ongoing collaboration with patients and staff, the programme has informed service improvements, addressed key issues such as referral delays, peer support and educational resources, and fostered an inclusive approach to care.

KW - Photodermatology

KW - Patient Engagement

KW - Realistic Medicine

KW - Patient Centred Care

KW - Service Design

KW - realistic medicine

KW - patient centred care

KW - photodermatology

KW - patient engagement

KW - service design

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105018791023

U2 - 10.1177/14782715251351787

DO - 10.1177/14782715251351787

M3 - Article

C2 - 40583816

SN - 1478-2715

VL - 55

SP - 216

EP - 223

JO - Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

JF - Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

IS - 3

ER -