Developing a bespoke patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for genital dermatoses: A pilot service evaluation

TL;DR

This study created a new patient-reported outcome measure for genital dermatoses and found that follow-up patients showed improved physical symptoms.

Contribution

A new PROM was developed and validated for genital dermatoses, showing its utility in assessing treatment outcomes.

Findings

Follow-up patients had significantly lower average scores than new patients, indicating better outcomes.

All questions in the PROM showed reduced scores from new to follow-up patients.

Significant improvements in pain scores were observed among follow-up patients.

Abstract

Genital dermatoses (GDs) significantly impact sexual health and psychosocial wellbeing, yet no specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) exists for this population. Our study aimed to appraise patient perspectives on GDs by composing a PROM to evaluate biopsychosocial concerns and compare outcomes between new and follow-up patients results.

A literature review of applicable existing PROMs resulted in the selection of 14 pre-validated questions covering 3 domains: physical symptoms, quality-of-life and mental health. The response rate was 77.1% for the final PROM, with 48 responses for analysis following the exclusion of 6 incomplete responses.

The follow-up group showed a reduction in average scores compared to new patients, decreasing from 2.41 to 2.05 (p = 0.0002) with a lower score indicating better outcomes. All the questions showed a decrease in score from new to follow-up patients. Results revealed significant improvements in the average pain score among follow-up patients.

Our findings demonstrate the necessity of PROMs in improving patient-centred care. Results indicated significant improvements in physical wellbeing in follow-up patients, affirming efficacy of existing treatments and suggested a necessity for greater psychological support to those suffering from genital dermatoses.

Figures