Quality of Life Measures for Dermatology: Definition, Evaluation, and Interpretation

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have gained substantial importance in medical research and care. One of the major areas of PROs is health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which reflects the personal health condition of an individual in physical, social, emotional, and functional dimensions. Other concepts of PROs include a patient's psychological condition, satisfaction, and preferences. In a general sense, PROs summarize all facts of a medical observation or intervention reported by the patient. In most cases, these outcomes cannot be recorded by other techniques and can only poorly be measured by professionals or relatives (via proxies). This article summarizes the concepts, methodology of measurement, and interpretation of results of PROs in dermatology, with a particular focus on HRQoL. The review is based on a November 2011 literature search and additional scientific exploration by the authors. An updated systematic review on the research terms patient reported outcomes, quality of life, patient preferences, willingness to pay, and PROs was performed. The resulting series of publications were checked for accuracy, topical match, and content. In terms of specific outcomes tools in dermatology, 105 instruments for assessing QoL of dermatology with validated data were identified. With respect to guidelines on QoL measurement in dermatology, three specific guides were found. PROs, in particular QoL and patient preferences, are indispensable constructs in the assessment of the patient perspective in clinical care, clinical research, health services research, and clinical routine. The use of validated methodologies is recommended, and, in most cases, validated instruments are available. Any instrument used should be checked for validity, scientific pureness, and feasibility. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.