Quality of life before and 6 weeks after treatment in a dermatological outpatient treatment unit

Background: Dermatological disease affects quality of life to a great extent. Treatments are time-consuming and many patients have problems adhering to treatment. Attending an outpatient unit regularly during an intensive treatment period may enable patients to cope with their illness, adhere to treatment and thus improve their quality of life. Objective: To study the effect on quality of life of 6 weeks of regular treatment in the outpatient unit in the County Hospital of Jonkoping, by means of a questionnaire and interviews. Methods: The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was distributed to 50 consecutive patients with psoriasis, atopic dermatitis or pruritus attending our outpatient treatment unit. Nine of the patients were interviewed during treatment about factors that might influence their quality of life. Results: The DLQI scores before treatment indicated a low quality of life. Women were more affected than men. After 6 weeks of treatment there was a clear improvement, with a 57% reduction in the scores. The answers from the interviews indicated important areas of concern such as withdrawal from public places, adoption of special clothing habits and concern about personal relationships. Conclusion: Dermatological diseases have an important influence on patients' quality of life. Attending an outpatient treatment unit was in this series of cases associated with improved quality of life as measured with the DLQI. © 2006 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.