Why should the PRP global community be concerned about the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)? Why o]invest so much time and effort helping GlobalSkin and OHSU build a better mousetrap. Quite simply — it SUCKS!
Abstract on the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) — Finley, A.Y.
The following five statements represent the ABSTRACT published in May 1994 that prefaced the introduction of the DLQI to the international community of dermatologists.
Statement #1 – “The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is a simple practical questionnaire technique for routine clinical use.”
Comment: Some might say that the DLQI is “too simple ” and that the challenges of treating PRP should not be considered “routine clinical use”.
Statement #2 – “One hundred and twenty patients with different skin diseases were asked about the impact of their disease and its treatment on their lives; a questionnaire, the DLQI, was developed based on their answers.”
Comment : Considering the fact that there are over 3,000 skin disorders and nearly 600 “rare” skin disorders, a cohort of 120 seems woefully inadequate for a DLQI appropriate for pityriasis rubra pilaris.
Statement #3 — “The DLQI was then completed by 200 consecutive new‐patients attending a dermatology clinic. This study confirmed that atopic eczema, psoriasis and generalized pruritus have a greater impact on quality of life than acne, basal cell carcinomas and viral warts.”
Comment : A case could be made that patients diagnosed with PRP would have a greater impact on quality of life than eczema, psoriasis, generalized pruritus , acne, basal cell carcinomas and viral warts. The severity of atopic eczema and psoriasis is not noted.
Statement #4 — “The DLQI was also completed by 100 healthy volunteers; their mean score was very low (1.6%, s.d. 3.5) compared with the mean score for the dermatology patients (24.2%, s.d. 20.9).”
Comment : Could a case could be made that patients diagnosed with PRP would have reported a greater impact on quality of life than those diagnosed with atopic eczema, psoriasis, generalized pruritus , acne, basal cell carcinomas and viral warts?
Statement #5 — The reliability of the DLQI was examined in 53 patients using a 1 week test‐retest method and reliability was found to be high (γs=0.99).
Comment : Could a case could be made that patients diagnosed with PRP would have suffered a fan greater impact on their quality of life?