Making Sense of Measures of Clinical Signs for Atopic Dermatitis

The document discusses the transition from paper to electronic quality of life measures in dermatology, specifically focusing on the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Ali et al. tested the measurement equivalence of the paper DLQI with a newly developed electronic version, following the framework provided by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). The study found that the paper and electronic versions of the DLQI are equivalent in measuring patient-reported quality of life, with a high correlation between scores. Despite patients taking longer to complete the electronic version, 76% preferred it over the paper version. This research supports the use of an electronic DLQI in clinical and research settings, which could benefit the increasingly time-pressured clinical environment by encouraging paperless data collection methodologies in dermatology.