Use of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) in a midwestern US urban clinic

From the Department of Dermatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolisa; the Dermatology Section, Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Centerb; the Dermatology Service, Wishard Memorial Hospital, Indianapolisc; Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolisd; Westat, Baltimoree; and the John Deere Company, Ankeny.f Accepted for publication Aug 15, 2000. Reprint requests: Holly B. Hahn, MD, Department of Dermatology, UH 3240, Indiana University Medical Center, 550 N University Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5267. 16/1/110880 doi:10.1067/mjd.2001.110880 T he World Health Organization presented a classification system defining health as “not merely the absence of disease but complete physical, psychological and social well-being.”1 Quality of life (QOL) indices assess the effects of disease on patients’ well-being. Originally, QOL instruments were created to address information about patients’ biologic and psychosocial health, including ability to perform routine activities such as walking up and down stairs. These instruments are referred to as generic QOL instruments. Examples of such instruments include the SF-36,2 the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP),3 and the Quality of Well-Being Scale.4 It has been noted that many aspects of QOL that may be affected by a particular disease or condition are not adequately addressed in generic QOL instruments. As a result, a variety of disease-specific QOL instruments were developed, for example, in clinical studies of acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and other dermatoses.5-11 Recently, there has been interest in broader dermatology instruments to enable one to follow up an individual or population with cutaneous diseases. Current English-language instruments are the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI),12 Dermatology Quality-of-Life Scales (DQOLS),13 Dermatology-Specific Quality of Life (DSQL),14 Impact of Skin Disease Scale (IMPACT),15 Patient Use of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) in a midwestern US urban clinic