LEAD-NLP

Improving our understanding of atopic dermatitis before, during and after pregnancy and exploring whether natural language processing can enhance qualitative research methods for thematic, semantic and sentiment analyses in dermatology to uncover key challenges, unmet needs, and emotional impacts of atopic dermatitis in women.

We will analyse discussions from focus groups and semi-structured interviews with women of childbearing age (aged 18 to 55) who have eczema, and healthcare professionals that treat them, exploring both groups’ experiences before, during, and after pregnancy. The output from the focus groups and interviews will be separately analysed by two qualitative researchers and then compared with the output from our NLP model on the datasets.

Outputs from this study will provide actionable insights to improve clinical care and support for women with eczema, and the healthcare professionals treating them, informing clinical guidance and resource development. In addition, by developing novel eczema-based NLP models, this project will not only enhance care for women with the disease but also establish a strong foundation for future qualitative dermatology research across other skin diseases.

If you’re a healthcare professional or patient interested in taking part, please contact us by email at leadstudy@kcl.ac.uk