Psychological managements for adult patients with psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder and approximately 1% to 3% of the world’s populations are suffering from it. As numerous studies have shown that psoriasis is highly correlated with psychological distresses, one of the critical issues in the psoriasis patient care is the psychological problem. However, in the existing care for psoriasis, no guideline has been developed for patients’ psychological issue. Therefore, the aim of this translational research is to develop an evidence-based psychological care guideline with an implementation and evaluation plan for psoriasis patients in a dermatology setting.

In this dissertation, 11 studies were selected after assessing the relevance of the obtained full texts. Data of these studies were extracted, and the quality of data was assessed by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Evidences obtained from the literature review were aggregated and also critically reviewed. After these processes, an Evidence Based Protocol was developed. In the guideline, information related to the psychological assessment and interventions for psoriasis are included. Then the implementation potential of the guideline produced was examined in terms of the transferability, feasibility and the cost-benefit ratio. A pilot test was also conducted to identify any problems of the actual implementation of the mentioned guideline. Both process and outcome evaluation would be as used to assess the feasibility and the effectiveness of the guideline. In the end, this guideline isexpected to manage psychological aspects of psoriasis patients so as to improve their quality of life.