Patient reported outcome measures for acne: mixed methods validation study.

Acne PROMs

Acne is very common in teenagers but also affects many adults, where the impact on quality of life and self-confidence can be great. At present, the most commonly used treatment for acne is long courses of antibiotics but there are concerns about bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics and it is important to study alternative acne treatments in order to avoid this.

We need outcome measures that allow us to capture patients’ assessments of their own acne severity and whether they feel that it is improving with treatment over time, otherwise studies of treatments will not provide evidence that is relevant to patients.  There is no agreement amongst researchers about which outcome measures are best for this.  In this study we will examine three  questionnaire measures – Acne-QoL, Skindex-16 and Acne Symptom and Impact Scale (ASIS) – but crucially we will determine whether they are acceptable to patients and whether they accurately capture patients’ experiences and change in acne over time. 

The majority of acne is treated by GPs so this study will invite patients with acne to take part through general practices as well as hospitals. We will invite participants through posted invitations from general practices and by community advertising, as well as GPs and hospital doctors telling patients about the study. People who choose to join the study will be asked to take part in an interview or fill in a questionnaire at four different times – at the start of the study, 1 day later, 2 weeks later, 6 weeks later.

The findings from this study will help recommend an outcome measure that will most accurately capture patients’ experiences of their own acne severity, which will help to ensure that the outcomes used in future in research studies, as well as in clinics, are relevant to patients. 

Amount awarded: £42,454