Measuring quality of life in people referred for specialist care of acne: Comparing generic and disease-specific measures

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare 3 approaches to the measurement of quality of life in patients referred for specialist care of acne. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 130 patients referred for management of their acne. Follow-up questionnaires were sent 4 and 12 months after treatment began. The questionnaire contained a generic index measure (EuroQol EQ-5D), a generic profile measure (Short Form 36), and a disease-specific measure (Dermatology Life Quality Index). Pretreatment results for the EQ-5D were compared with normative data. The responsiveness of the EQ-5D was compared with that of the other measures. RESULTS: Before treatment, the sample reported substantially more pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression on the EQ-5D compared with a population sample. The disease-specific measure was more responsive to change compared with both generic measures. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the importance of combining information from generic measures with information from instruments designed specifically for use in people with skin disease.