Health Boards
Do you think a daily text message could help you with your psoriasis? A study published in the British Journal of Dermatology suggests that a daily text message providing reminders and educational tools could help!
Background:
Psoriasis is a chronic disease which requires long-term therapy. Therefore, adherence to therapy and patient motivation are key points in controlling the disease. Mobile-phone-based interventions, and in particular text messages ™, have already been used effectively to motivate patients and improve treatment adherence in many different chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma.
Objectives:
To evaluate the use of TM in improving treatment adherence and several patient outcomes such as quality of life, disease severity, patient-perceived disease severity and the patient–physician relationship.
Patients and methods:
Daily TM, providing reminders and educational tools, were sent for 12 weeks to a group of 20 patients with psoriasis. At the beginning and end of the study the following assessments were performed: Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), Self-Administered Psoriasis Area Severity Index (SAPASI), body surface area (BSA), Physician Global Assessment (PGA), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), evaluation of patient–physician relationship and adherence to therapy. A matched control group of 20 patients with psoriasis was used for comparison of the same outcomes.
Results:
Both patient groups had similar scores for PASI, SAPASI, BSA, PGA and DLQI at baseline. However, after 12 weeks the intervention group reported a significantly better improvement of disease severity as well as quality of life, showing lower values of PASI, SAPASI, BSA, PGA and DLQI with respect to the control group (P < 0·05). Moreover, adherence to therapy improved in a statistically significant way (P < 0·001) whereas it remained stable in the control group. Similarly, TM interventions led to an optimization of patient–physician communication.
Conclusions:
TM interventions seem to be a very promising tool for the long-term management of patients with psoriasis, leading to an increased compliance to therapy, positive changes in self-care behaviours and better patient–physician relationship allowing improved clinical outcomes and better control of the disease.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Background:
Psoriasis is a chronic disease which requires long-term therapy. Therefore, adherence to therapy and patient motivation are key points in controlling the disease. Mobile-phone-based interventions, and in particular text messages ™, have already been used effectively to motivate patients and improve treatment adherence in many different chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma.
Objectives:
To evaluate the use of TM in improving treatment adherence and several patient outcomes such as quality of life, disease severity, patient-perceived disease severity and the patient–physician relationship.
Patients and methods:
Daily TM, providing reminders and educational tools, were sent for 12 weeks to a group of 20 patients with psoriasis. At the beginning and end of the study the following assessments were performed: Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), Self-Administered Psoriasis Area Severity Index (SAPASI), body surface area (BSA), Physician Global Assessment (PGA), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), evaluation of patient–physician relationship and adherence to therapy. A matched control group of 20 patients with psoriasis was used for comparison of the same outcomes.
Results:
Both patient groups had similar scores for PASI, SAPASI, BSA, PGA and DLQI at baseline. However, after 12 weeks the intervention group reported a significantly better improvement of disease severity as well as quality of life, showing lower values of PASI, SAPASI, BSA, PGA and DLQI with respect to the control group (P < 0·05). Moreover, adherence to therapy improved in a statistically significant way (P < 0·001) whereas it remained stable in the control group. Similarly, TM interventions led to an optimization of patient–physician communication.
Conclusions:
TM interventions seem to be a very promising tool for the long-term management of patients with psoriasis, leading to an increased compliance to therapy, positive changes in self-care behaviours and better patient–physician relationship allowing improved clinical outcomes and better control of the disease.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com