The classification of self-inflicted skin lesions proposed by the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP) group generated questions with regard to specific treatments that could be recommended for such cases. The therapeutic guidelines in the current paper integrate new psychotherapies and psychotropic drugs without forgetting the most important relational characteristics required for dealing with people with these disorders. The management of self-inflicted skin lesions necessitates empathy and a doctor-patient relationship based on trust and confidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Derm Venereol
August 2016
Over the last decades, Life Course Research (LCR), predominantly the domain of sociology, has been increasingly applied in health research, as Life Course Epidemiology (LCE). The latter is concerned with disease patterns over time, accumulation of exposures over time, critical time periods and patterns of risk. We argue that concepts from LCR and LCE could be widely applied in dermatology, in general, and, more precisely, in the study of chronic inflammatory skin diseases, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly considered important. We developed a web-based application to electronically assess PROs in routine dermatological practice. We assessed (1) the relevance of PRO measurement according to health care providers and patients, (2) the feasibility of our application in routine practice according to health care providers, supporting staff and patients, and (3) barriers/facilitators for implementation according to health care providers and supporting staff.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth-related quality of life (HRQoL) of rosacea patients is a relevant outcome measure in research and clinical practice. A review of the literature was systematically carried out regarding levels of HRQoL of patients with rosacea, including associations between HRQoL scores, demographic and clinical characteristics. Searches were performed in Cochrane, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and LILACS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic skin diseases have a negative impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patient education might contribute to HRQoL improvement. We developed a web-based, educational, HRQoL intervention for patients with a chronic skin disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe terminology, classification, diagnosis and treatment of self-inflicted dermatological lesions are subjects of open debate. The present study is the result of various meetings of a task force of dermatologists, psychiatrists and psychologists, all active in the field of psychodermatology, aimed at clarifying the terminology related to these disorders. A flow chart and glossary of terms and definitions are presented to facilitate the classification and management of self-inflicted skin lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrials
December 2012
Background: Interest in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcome research in dermatology is increasing, especially in the systemic treatment of psoriasis with biologic agents. In other specialties, such as oncology, the application of a HRQoL intervention is considered to be an aid for monitoring disease and treatment over time, for the communication with the patient, and for improving treatment outcome. However, in dermatology practice, the application of this intervention is relatively new.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe negative impact of skin disease on quality of life (QoL) has been described in many studies. Patient education as an adjunct to treatment, with the aim of improving QoL and reducing disease severity, is a relatively new technique in dermatology. The objective of this article is to analyse and summarise evidence concerning the effects of patient education on QoL and disease severity in patients with chronic skin diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn dermatology, the clinical use of health-related quality of life (HRQL) scores is impeded by lack of empirically and clinically based interpretation of these scores. We aimed to facilitate the interpretation of Skindex-29 domain and overall scores by identifying clinically meaningful cut-off scores, using patient-based anchors. Consecutively included dermatology outpatients completed the Skindex-29 and four sets of anchor-based questions, such as questions on the impact of skin disease on HRQL, on global disease severity, and on psychiatric morbidity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Vitiligo is commonly regarded as a harmless cosmetic skin problem in Western societies, and the importance of treating patients with vitiligo is often underestimated.
Objective: We sought to determine the clinical and sociodemographic variables that adversely affect the quality of life in adult patients with generalized vitiligo so that these variables can be considered in the treatment and care.
Methods: A total of 245 adult patients with generalized vitiligo completed two quality-of-life questionnaires (the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-form General Health Survey and the Skindex-29).
The dermatology life questionnaire index (DLQI) and the Skindex are the most commonly used dermatology-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments. Although these tools are used in international surveys and clinical trials, the cross-cultural equivalence of their items has not been documented. We used differential item functioning (DIF), which is part of the Rasch model, to assess the impact of cultural background on the items of the DLQI and Skindex-29 and-17.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Investig Dermatol Symp Proc
March 2004
Data on physical, psychological, and social functioning of patients with psoriasis have been presented in many studies. The introduction of quality-of-life questionnaires has made it possible to systematically compare these data across studies. The aim of this study was to present an overview of quality-of-life data and to describe the relationship between demographic and clinical variables and quality of life in patients with psoriasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To critically appraise the suitability of current quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaires for psoriasis research.
Data Sources: Computerized searches of 5 bibliographic databases. QUESTIONNAIRE SELECTION: Predefined criteria were used to identify QOL questionnaires in dermatologic studies.