PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)
Psychometric characteristics of DLQI-BRA and Skindex-16 to measure the impact of dermatological diseases on quality of life in Brazilian patients.
Abstract
ObjectiveTo compare the psychometric performance of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI-BRA) and Skindex-16 to assess quality of life (QoL) in Brazilian patients with dermatological diseases.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study carried out in a dermatology outpatient clinic of the São Paulo State University, with 188 patients with dermatological diseases. QoL was evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI-BRA) and Skindex-16. Cronbach's alpha and Intraclass Correlation for Perfect Concordance (ICC) were used to analyse the reliability and temporal stability, respectively.ResultsA positive correlation was found between the total Skindex-16 score and DLQI-BRA (0.75). Both instruments showed a significant (p0,7), but Skindex-16 displayed the highest Cronbach alpha (0.94; CI = 0.93-0.95).ConclusionBoth instruments tested showed a good psychometric performance assessing QoL in patients with skin dermatoses. The instruments displayed reliability and temporal stability as well as responsiveness.