Study Reveals PROMs’ Vital Role in Assessing Psoriasis Severity

Psoriasis, a chronic skin condition, profoundly impacts patients’ quality of life, encompassing psychological, emotional, and physical aspects. Traditional clinician-reported outcomes (CROs) often fail to capture the full extent of patients’ experiences, as they do not align closely with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). To address this gap, a study aimed to assess the complementary value of PROMs alongside CROs in routine psoriasis treatment. Analyzing data from over 1700 patients, the study found discrepancies between CROs and PROMs in assessing disease severity and determining the need for systemic therapy initiation. Notably, PROMs identified a significant number of patients who met therapy initiation criteria missed by CROs.

The study underscores the potential of PROMs as essential indicators in dermatological care, providing valuable insights into patients’ experiences beyond what CROs offer. Routine collection of both CROs and PROMs could enhance shared decision-making between patients and clinicians, particularly when discrepancies arise in severity assessments.

Reference: Barbieri JS, Gelfand JM. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures as Complementary Information to Clinician-Reported Outcome Measures in Patients With Psoriasis. JAMA Dermatol. 2021 Oct 1;157(10):1236-1237. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2021.3341. PMID: 34495286; PMCID: PMC8427484.