The Impacts of Hidradenitis Suppurativa on Education and Employment: A Scoping Review Protocol

<p class="p2"><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this scoping review is to understand the extent and type of evidence regarding the impacts of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) on education and employment status. <p class="p2"><strong>Introduction: </strong>HS, an inflammatory skin condition affecting the apocrine glands and hair follicles, entails substantial burdens to patients, including severe pain and resulting physical impairments pose a significant mortality risk. A better understanding of the impacts of HS on educational attainment and employment status may shape care guidelines for patients with HS. <p class="p2"><strong>Inclusion criteria: </strong>Studies that will be included in the scoping review are those that investigate patients with HS specifying education- or employment-related variables and outcomes. Studies concerning patients with HS but lacking education or employment related data, and studies concerning all other dermatological conditions will be excluded. <p class="p2"><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search will be conducted on PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, ProQuest Health &amp; Medical Collection, and Academic Search Premier. No date limits will be applied, only articles in English languagewill be included, and search terms will include HS and education- and employment-related terms. A minimum of two, independent reviewers will use Covidence to screen articles. Results will be presented using tabulated and thematic displays. <p class="p2"><strong>Results: </strong>Results will ideally inform care for HS to ensure educational attainment and employment. <p class="p2"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Gaps and limitations in the relationship between HS, education, and employment, and future research directions will be presented.