Pilot study on a new concept of documenting the clinical relevance of patch test results in contact dermatitis patients.

An improved method of data collection is presented that more accurately links allergen to exposure and to clinical disease and patient history, and thus better represents clinical relevance. This enables more precise analysis of the causation of contact dermatitis, occupational or non-occupational, and thereby better targeting of prevention. The development of future databases should incorporate the above considerations to record the results of investigation.