Fungal Skin Infections
Practice nurses regularly see patients for dermatological fungal infections and make a substantial contribution to patient management1. These common problems are unsightly, irritating and often distressing to patients, yet they can respond very successfully to appropriate treatment and hygiene measures. In this area, as in many others, the role of the nursing professional is becoming increasingly important.
This section of the website is designed to help you in the diagnosis, management and prevention of fungal skin infection and focuses on some of the common fungal skin infections that you’re likely to see in your practice: sweat rash, jock itch, ringworm, nappy rash and athlete’s foot
Treatment overview
- Fungi contains a fatty substance which forms a very important part of their cell wall
- Most antifungal treatments interfere in some way with this fatty substance, so damaging the cell wall and causing the fungus to fail
- Without treatment, the fungal infection can cause increasing discomfort and may occasionally spread to other areas
- It is very important to use antifungal treatments as often and for as long as advised – inadequate treatment can mean that infection will return
References
- Fungal infections in general practice. Practice Nursing 2008, Vol 19, No 1