The impact of dermatological conditions on a patient's quality of life (QoL) cannot be underestimated. QoL assessment provides a patient orientated assessment of the impact of skin disease and treatment.
The DLQI can be used for classifying the severity of different skin conditions, for example, studies have found that atopic eczema, psoriasis and generalized pruritus have a greater impact on quality of life than acne, basal cell carcinomas and viral warts. While it is possible for a clinician to gain a more rapid assessment of patient QoL with fewer questions, the use of a ten question DLQI tool provides a more in-depth diagnosis that allows the clinician to address specific patient-identified problems in addition to identifying which aspects of the patient's life are most severely affected. Medical treatment can therefore be directed accordingly.
eDLQI also enables patients to express personal issues regarding their disease and treatment, an increasingly important consideration in light of the ongoing shift towards patient-orientated health-care.
