Quality of life in vitiligo patients Teovska Mitrevska, Natasa; Eleftheriadou, Viktoria; Guarneri, Fabrizio
Dermatologic therapy,
November/December 2012, Volume:
25, Issue:
S1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Quality of life is defined by the World Health Organization as “individuals’ perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation ...to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns.” Often overlooked in the past, it is nowadays considered, in a more holistic view of medicine, a decisive factor to understand the impact of diseases and improve the quality of medical care. Such evaluation is particularly relevant for dermatological diseases, because visibility of the lesions can significantly affect self‐esteem and social relationships. Vitiligo represents an emblematic case: often disfiguring and located in visible areas, confused in the past (and, in many world regions, even in the present) with leprosy, often perceived by physicians as a harmless, purely cosmetic problem, it significantly decreases the quality of life of affected persons. After a brief overview on definition, usefulness and methods for the assessment of quality of life, the authors examine the peculiarities of its relationship with skin diseases, particularly vitiligo. The state of the art of knowledge and research in this field is presented, together with data showing usefulness and positive results of a multidisciplinary approach, which adequately keeps into account perceived quality of life, on patient's satisfaction, adherence to treatment protocols and, ultimately, better outcome of treatments. In this context, an important role can be played by support communities, groups of patients and dedicated associations and societies, connected through modern communication networks like the Internet.
Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are validated and standardized tools that complement physician evaluations and guide treatment decisions. They are crucial for monitoring atopic dermatitis ...(AD) and chronic urticaria (CU) in clinical practice, but there are unmet needs and knowledge gaps regarding their use in clinical practice.
We investigated the global real-world use of AD and CU PROMs in allergology and dermatology clinics as well as their associated local and regional networks.
Across 72 specialized allergy and dermatology centers and their local and regional networks, 2,534 physicians in 73 countries completed a 53-item questionnaire on the use of PROMs for AD and CU.
Of 2,534 physicians, 1,308 were aware of PROMs. Of these, 14% and 15% used PROMs for AD and CU, respectively. Half of physicians who use PROMs do so only rarely or sometimes. Use of AD and CU PROM is associated with being female, younger, and a dermatologist. The Patient-Oriented Scoring Atopic Dermatitis Index and Urticaria Activity Score were the most common PROMs for AD and CU, respectively. Monitoring disease control and activity are the main drivers of the use of PROMs. Time constraints were the primary obstacle to using PROMs, followed by the impression that patients dislike PROMs. Users of AD and CU PROM would like training in selecting the proper PROM.
Although PROMs offer several benefits, their use in routine practice is suboptimal, and physicians perceive barriers to their use. It is essential to attain higher levels of PROM implementation in accordance with national and international standards.
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