Satisfaction with treatment and health-related quality of life among patients with lichen planus: a web-based survey

Patients with lichen sclerosus experience moderate satisfaction with treatment and impairment of quality of life: results of a cross-sectional study

“…However, the internal consistency of the overall score was found to be adequate (Cronbach's α = 0·89), which is indicative of good reliability, as the generally accepted value (> 0·70) for group comparisons was exceeded. These results are in agreement with reliability coefficients found in other patient samples . Furthermore, the results of our focus groups in this and other patient cohorts showed that the questionnaire appeared to be comprehensive, relevant and comprehensible, which is indicative of good content validity in this patient sample.…”

“…Patients with LS rated the effectiveness of treatment as most important. This is consistent with earlier studies in patients with other chronic skin diseases, such as psoriasis and lichen planus . Given the chronic nature of LS, satisfaction with treatment effectiveness may be affected by the duration of current treatment, treatment adherence and appropriate use of treatment.…”

“…These results are in agreement with reliability coefficients found in other patient samples. 28,35 Furthermore, the results of our focus groups in this and other patient cohorts showed that the questionnaire appeared to be comprehensive, relevant and comprehensible, which is indicative of good content validity in this patient sample. A final limitation is that all clinical characteristics were self-reported via the web-based survey, rather than confirmed by a healthcare provider.…”

“…This is consistent with earlier studies in patients with other chronic skin diseases, such as psoriasis 27,28 and lichen planus. 35 Given the chronic nature of LS, satisfaction with treatment effectiveness may be affected by the duration of current treatment, treatment adherence and appropriate use of treatment. In our sample, longer duration of treatment correlated weakly with lower satisfaction (r = À0Á14, P = 0Á015).…”

“…As there were no LS‐specific questionnaires available to measure satisfaction with treatment, we developed a study‐specific questionnaire. Based on literature research, two validated, generic questionnaires for satisfaction with treatment, and previous, comparable study‐specific questionnaires to measure satisfaction with treatment in patients with psoriasis and lichen planus, we determined six domains of treatment satisfaction: ‘treatment effectiveness’, ‘treatment safety’, ‘treatment convenience’, ‘doctor–patient communication’, ‘information about the treatment’ and ‘organization of the treatment’.…”