Patient-initiated consultations beneficial in psoriasis

(HealthDay)—For patients with psoriasis, a patient-initiated care consultation (PICC) intervention may offer clinical benefits compared with routine care, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Lina R. Khoury, from the Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues conducted a prospective trial involving patients with psoriasis in a dermatology outpatient clinic. One hundred fifty patients were randomized to the PICC group, where they participated in one annual consultation with a dermatologist and were able to initiate consultations as necessary, or to routine care, with a consultation every 12 to 16 weeks.

The researchers found that there was no statistically significant mean difference between the groups in Dermatology Life Quality Index (0.28; 95 percent confidence interval, −0.35 to 0.9) or Psoriasis Area Severity Index (−0.24; 95 percent confidence interval, −0.84 to 0.36) at week 52. PICC group patients requested 63.1 percent fewer dermatologist consultations (mean, 2.5±0.1 versus 5.1±0.6). Equal patient adherence and safety with treatment monitoring was seen between the groups; those in the PICC group were significantly better at attending consultations than those in the control group.

"PICC offers additional clinical benefits compared to routine care, making patients less dependent on clinical visits," the authors write. "The intervention adds no harm to monitoring systemic treatment and patients report high quality of life and satisfaction with healthcare."