Patient-physician consensus on quality of life in dermatology

This study was undertaken in order to establish the correlation between physician-assessed and patient self-reported quality of life (QOL) when using a proposed Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) in a random sample of 51 dermatological out-patients and in-patients. A substantial correlation was found between physician scores and DLQI (r(2) = 0.306, P < 0.001), suggesting that the DLQI can be used to assess QOL and general morbidity. Comparison of the observed and ideal patient-physician consensus suggests that patients with relatively benign or quiescent disease map overestimate disease impact, while dermatological patients with more malign or aggressive disease may underestimate it compared with the physician estimate.