Realtime teleconsultations versus face-to-face consultations in dermatology: immediate and six-month outcome

We evaluated the outcome of both realtime teleconsultations and face-to-face consultations in dermatology. Forty-six patients were enrolled in an open controlled study. Twenty-nine patients (60%) answered the questionnaire sent to them after six months. Over the six-month follow-up, similar proportions of the two patient groups had visited a general practitioner or a specialist in the consulting hospital. At follow-up, overall patient satisfaction with the consultation, measured on a linear analogue scale (0–10), had fallen only slightly and to the same extent after both types of consultation, that is by 1.2 (SD 3.7) after realtime teleconsultations and by 1.4 (SD 4.5) after face-to-face consultations. The proportions of patients who would prefer the same mode of consultation for their next appointment had decreased from 83% to 50% in the realtime teleconsultation group and from 83% to 62% in the face-to-face consultation group. However, in neither group was the change significant. The study suggests that patient satisfaction with teleconsultation is well preserved after six months.

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One-Year Remission Rate of Chronic Headache Comparing Video and Face-to-Face Consultations by Neurologist: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.30151 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Svein Ivar Bekkelund ◽

Kai Ivar Müller

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Chronic Headache ◽

Remission Rate ◽

Face To Face ◽

The Face ◽

Video Group ◽

One Year ◽

Headache Patients

BACKGROUND Chronic headache causing severe headache-related disability for those affected by the disease is under- or misdiagnosed in many cases and therefore requires easy access to a specialist for optimal health care management. OBJECTIVE The goal of the research is to determine whether video consultations are noninferior to face-to-face consultations in treating chronic headache patients referred to a specialist in Northern Norway. METHODS Patients included in the study were recruited from general practice referrals to a specialist at a neurological department in Northern Norway (Tromsø) and diagnosed according to the International Headache Society classification system. In a randomized controlled design, the 1-year remission rate of chronic headache (change from ≥15 to <15 headache days per month during the last 3 months), patient satisfaction with a specialist consultation, and need for follow-up consultations by general practitioners were compared between groups consulted by video and face-to-face in a post hoc analysis. Data were collected by interview (baseline) and questionnaire (follow-up). RESULTS From a baseline cohort of 402 headache patients consecutively referred from general practice to a specialist over 2.5 years, 58.0% (233/402) were classified as chronic headache and included in this study. Response rates were 71.7% (86/120) in the video group and 67.3% (76/113) in the face-to-face group. One-year remission from chronic headache was achieved in 43.0% (37/86) in the video group and 39.5% (30/76) in the face-to-face group (P=.38). Patient satisfaction with consultations were 86.5% (32/37; video) and 93.3% (28/30; face-to-face; P=.25). A total of 30% (11/37) in the video group and 53% (16/30) in the face-to-face group consulted general practitioners during the follow-up period (P=.03), and median number of consultations was 1 (IQR 0-13) and 1.5 (IQR 0-15), respectively (P=.19). CONCLUSIONS One-year remission rate from chronic headache was about 40% regardless of consultation form. Likewise, patient satisfaction with consultation and need for follow-up visits in general practice post consultation was similar. Treating chronic headache patients by using video consultations is not inferior to face-to-face consultations and may be used in clinical neurological practice. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02270177; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02270177

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P066 Telephone clinics: what are our patients saying?

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keab247.063 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 60 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Muhammad Azhar Abdullah ◽

Nicholas Heng ◽

Sajjad Noor ◽

Urooj Ahmed ◽

Clare Lavery ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Action Plan ◽

Phone Call ◽

Telephone Consultation ◽

Face To Face ◽

Video Consultation ◽

Patient Groups ◽

To Receive ◽

Good Patient Satisfaction

Abstract Background/Aims Telemedicine has not previously been a regular part of routine rheumatology services.Our department adopted telephone clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed patient satisfaction by conducting a feedback survey. Our aim was to obtain a patient perspective on remote consultations and on preferred future follow up options including video or face-to-face consultations. Methods The cohort included 160 rheumatology patients who had a telephone consultation between May and mid-June 2020. All patients consented to receive a further phone call by a different member of the team. Patients had to answer a questionnaire about recent consultation and to rate this on a scale of 1-5. Other questions included whether all their queries were answered; clear action plan made; perceived benefits or disadvantages of telephone consultation; and views about future follow up and any additional comments. Results 71.9% of 160 patients were females while 28.1 % males. Mean age 58.6 yrs. More than half of the patients (60.6%) had a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis, followed by connective tissue disease (19.3%), other diagnosis (8.1% ) & vasculitis (5.6%). 94.4 % of the patients in this study were return appointments-the remainder new. Feedback results revealed 92.5% patients were satisfied with their consultation with mean score of 4.3/5 (5=best,1= worst). More than 80% agreed that all their queries were answered and a clear action plan was formed during consultation. However ,71.2% would want a face to face consultation if given choice while 54 % happy to have further follow up over the phone. 65% of patients preferred not to have video consultation. Subgroup analysis showed that majority of patients who would accept video consultation were aged between 30-39. Most common benefits described were noted to be convenience; reduced time of work; travel time and safety during pandemic, whilst difficulty in describing symptoms; hearing problems; and severity of disease were disadvantages raised, but numbers were small in our cohort. Conclusion Telephone clinics were the mainstay during the COVID-19 pandemic.The large majority of the rheumatology patients in our cohort were highly satisfied with this form of consultation. However, interestingly the majority (71% ) would still prefer face-to-face consultation as follow up in the future. Regular follow up in carefully selected patient groups can successfully be performed by telephone clinics with good patient satisfaction. This would help increase capacity within the clinic setting. Disclosure M. Abdullah: None. N. Heng: None. S. Noor: None. U. Ahmed: None. C. Lavery: None. S. Bawa: None.

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One-Year Remission Rate of Chronic Headache Comparing Video and Face-to-Face Consultations by Neurologist: Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/30151 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (12) ◽

pp. e30151

Author(s):

Svein Ivar Bekkelund ◽

Kai Ivar Müller

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Chronic Headache ◽

Remission Rate ◽

Face To Face ◽

The Face ◽

Video Group ◽

One Year ◽

Headache Patients

Background Chronic headache causing severe headache-related disability for those affected by the disease is under- or misdiagnosed in many cases and therefore requires easy access to a specialist for optimal health care management. Objective The goal of the research is to determine whether video consultations are noninferior to face-to-face consultations in treating chronic headache patients referred to a specialist in Northern Norway. Methods Patients included in the study were recruited from general practice referrals to a specialist at a neurological department in Northern Norway (Tromsø) and diagnosed according to the International Headache Society classification system. In a randomized controlled design, the 1-year remission rate of chronic headache (change from ≥15 to <15 headache days per month during the last 3 months), patient satisfaction with a specialist consultation, and need for follow-up consultations by general practitioners were compared between groups consulted by video and face-to-face in a post hoc analysis. Data were collected by interview (baseline) and questionnaire (follow-up). Results From a baseline cohort of 402 headache patients consecutively referred from general practice to a specialist over 2.5 years, 58.0% (233/402) were classified as chronic headache and included in this study. Response rates were 71.7% (86/120) in the video group and 67.3% (76/113) in the face-to-face group. One-year remission from chronic headache was achieved in 43.0% (37/86) in the video group and 39.5% (30/76) in the face-to-face group (P=.38). Patient satisfaction with consultations were 86.5% (32/37; video) and 93.3% (28/30; face-to-face; P=.25). A total of 30% (11/37) in the video group and 53% (16/30) in the face-to-face group consulted general practitioners during the follow-up period (P=.03), and median number of consultations was 1 (IQR 0-13) and 1.5 (IQR 0-15), respectively (P=.19). Conclusions One-year remission rate from chronic headache was about 40% regardless of consultation form. Likewise, patient satisfaction with consultation and need for follow-up visits in general practice post consultation was similar. Treating chronic headache patients by using video consultations is not inferior to face-to-face consultations and may be used in clinical neurological practice. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02270177; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02270177

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Routine clinical care data from thirteen cardiac outpatient clinics: design of the Cardiology Centers of the Netherlands (CCN) database

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12872-021-02020-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sophie H. Bots ◽

Klaske R. Siegersma ◽

N. Charlotte Onland-Moret ◽

Folkert W. Asselbergs ◽

G. Aernout Somsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

General Practitioner ◽

Data Collection ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Strong Base ◽

Daily Care ◽

Cardiac Symptoms ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Patient Groups

Abstract Background Despite the increasing availability of clinical data due to the digitalisation of healthcare systems, data often remain inaccessible due to the diversity of data collection systems. In the Netherlands, Cardiology Centers of the Netherlands (CCN) introduced “one-stop shop” diagnostic clinics for patients suspected of cardiac disease by their general practitioner. All CCN clinics use the same data collection system and standardised protocol, creating a large regular care database. This database can be used to describe referral practices, evaluate risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in important patient subgroups, and develop prediction models for use in daily care. Construction and content The current database contains data on all patients who underwent a cardiac workup in one of the 13 CCN clinics between 2007 and February 2018 (n = 109,151, 51.9% women). Data were pseudonymised and contain information on anthropometrics, cardiac symptoms, risk factors, comorbidities, cardiovascular and family history, standard blood laboratory measurements, transthoracic echocardiography, electrocardiography in rest and during exercise, and medication use. Clinical follow-up is based on medical need and consisted of either a repeat visit at CCN (43.8%) or referral for an external procedure in a hospital (16.5%). Passive follow-up via linkage to national mortality registers is available for 95% of the database. Utility and discussion The CCN database provides a strong base for research into historically underrepresented patient groups due to the large number of patients and the lack of in- and exclusion criteria. It also enables the development of artificial intelligence-based decision support tools. Its contemporary nature allows for comparison of daily care with the current guidelines and protocols. Missing data is an inherent limitation, as the cardiologist could deviate from standardised protocols when clinically indicated. Conclusion The CCN database offers the opportunity to conduct research in a unique population referred from the general practitioner to the cardiologist for diagnostic workup. This, in combination with its large size, the representation of historically underrepresented patient groups and contemporary nature makes it a valuable tool for expanding our knowledge of cardiovascular diseases. Trial registration: Not applicable.

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COVD-26. TELEPHONE CONSULTATIONS IN NEURO-ONCOLOGY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: LEVELS OF PATIENT SATISFACTION AND COMPARISON WITH TRADITIONAL FACE-TO-FACE CONSULTATIONS

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noaa215.107 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. ii26-ii26

Author(s):

Emma Toman ◽

Claire Goddard ◽

Frederick Berki ◽

William Garratt ◽

Teresa Scott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

University Hospitals ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire ◽

Telephone Consultation ◽

Exact Test ◽

Face To Face ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Face ◽

The University

Abstract INTRODUCTION Controversy exists as to whether telephone clinics are appropriate in neurosurgical-oncology. The COVID-19 pandemic forced neuro-oncology services worldwide to re-design and at the University Hospitals Birmingham UK, telephone clinics were quickly implemented in select patients to limit numbers of patients attending hospital. It was important to determine how these changes were perceived by patients. METHODS A 20-question patient satisfaction questionnaire was distributed to patients who attended neuro-oncology clinic in person (“face-to-face”), or via the telephone. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine significance, which was set at p< 0.05. RESULTS Eighty questionnaires were distributed between June 2020 and August 2020. Overall, 50% (n=40) of patients returned the questionnaire, 50% (n=23) of face-to-face and 50% (n=17) telephone patients. Of those who received telephone consultations, 88% (n=15) felt the consultation was convenient, 88% (n=15) were satisfied with their consultation and 18% (n=3) felt they would have preferred to have a face-to-face appointment. Of those who attended clinic in person, 96% (n=22) felt their consultation was convenient, 100% (n=23) were satisfied with their consultation and 13% (n=3) would have preferred a telephone consultation. Within the face-to-face clinic attendees, only 13% (n=3) were concerned regarding the COVID risk associated with attending hospital. There was no significant difference in patient convenience or satisfaction (p=0.565 and p=0.174 respectively) between face-to-face and telephone clinics. There was no significant difference in whether patients would’ve preferred the alternative method of consultation (p > 0.999). CONCLUSION Our study suggests that careful patient selection for neuro-oncology telephone clinic is not inferior to face-to-face clinic. Telephone clinic during COVID-19 pandemic proved to be convenient, safe and effective. This global health crisis has transformed telephone neuro-oncology consultations from an experimental innovation into established practice and should be continued beyond the pandemic in select cases.

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P071 Survey of rheumatology patient satisfaction with telephone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keab247.069 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 60 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Mia Rodziewicz ◽

Terence O'Neill ◽

Audrey Low

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Physical Examination ◽

Management Plan ◽

Service Development ◽

Telephone Consultation ◽

Face To Face ◽

Communication Difficulties ◽

Strongly Agree ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background/Aims Rheumatology departments were required to switch rapidly from face-to-face (F2F) to remote consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. We conducted a patient satisfaction survey on the switch to inform future service development. Methods All patients [new (NP), follow-up (FU)] were identified between 1st to 5th June 2020. Patients who attended or did not attend (DNA) a pre-booked F2F consultation or cancelled were excluded. Of the remainder, half the patients was surveyed by phone using a standardised questionnaire and the other half was posted the same questionnaire. Both groups were offered the opportunity to complete the survey online. Patients were surveyed on the organisation and content of the consultation, whether they were offered a subsequent F2F appointment and future consultation preference. Results 233 consultations were scheduled during the study period. After 53 exclusions (34 pre-booked F2F, 16 DNA, 3 cancellations), 180 eligible consultations were surveyed (85 via mailshot, 95 by telephone). 75/180 patients (42%) responded within 1 month of the telephone consultation (20 NP, 47 FU, 8 missing). The organisation of the switch was positively perceived (Table). Patients were highly satisfied with 4 of the 5 consultation domains but were undecided whether a physical assessment would have changed the outcome of the consultation (Table). After the initial phone consultation, 7 of 20 NP and 19 of 47 FU were not offered subsequent F2F appointments at the clinicians’ discretion. Of those not offered subsequent F2F appointments, proportionally more NP (3/7, 43%) would have liked one, compared to FU (5/19, 26%). Reasons included communication difficulties and a desire for a definitive diagnosis. 48/75 (64%) would be happy for future routine FU to be conducted by phone “most of the time" or "always”; citing patient convenience and disease stability. Caveats were if physical examination was required or if more serious issues (as perceived by the patient) needed F2F discussion. Conclusion Patients were generally satisfied with telephone consultations and most were happy to be reviewed again this way. NPs should be offered F2F appointments for first visits to maximise patient satisfaction and time efficiency. P071 Table 1:Median age, yearsFemale; n (%)Follow-up; n (%)All eligible for survey; n = 18056122 (68)133 (74)Sent mailshot; n = 855459 (69)65 (76)Surveyed by phone; n = 955663 (66)68 (72)Responder by mail; n = 166911 (69)13 (82)Responder by phone; n = 525437 (71)34 (65)Responder by e-survey; n = 7495 (71)UnknownOrganisation of the telephone consultation, N = 75Yes, n (%)No, n (%)Missing, n (%)Were you informed beforehand about the phone consultation?63 (84)11 (15)1 (1)Were you called within 1-2 hours of the appointed date and time?66 (88)6 (8)3 (4)Domains of the consultation, N = 75Strongly disagree, n (%)Disagree, n (%)Neutral, n (%)Agree, n (%)Strongly agree, n (%)Missing, n (%)During the call, I felt the clinician understood my problem3 (4)1 (1)1 (1)20 (27)49 (65)1 (1)During the call, I had the opportunity to ask questions regarding my clinical care1 (1)02 (3)16 (21)55 (73)1 (1)A physical examination would have changed the outcome of the consultation16 (21)18 (24)20 (27)11 (15)10 (13)0The clinician answered my questions to my satisfaction2 (3)06 (8)18 (24)49 (65)0At the end of the consultation, the clinician agreed a management plan with me3 (4)2 (3)6 (8)24 (32)39 (52)1 (1)Future consultations, N = 75Never, n (%)Sometimes, n (%)Most of the time, n (%)Always, n (%)Missing, n, (%)In the future, would you be happy for routine FU to be conducted by phone?5 (7)20 (27)16 (21)32 (43)2 (3) Disclosure M. Rodziewicz: None. T. O'Neill: None. A. Low: None.

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Face-to-face to online: PhD academic writing @Maastricht University

Innovative language teaching and learning at university: treasuring languages ◽

10.14705/rpnet.2020.40.1060 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 13-19

Author(s):

Neill Wylie

Keyword(s):

Academic Writing ◽

Online Courses ◽

Global Perspective ◽

Innovative Teaching ◽

Face To Face ◽

Strong Focus ◽

Writing Course ◽

The Face ◽

Language Needs

Maastricht University (UM) has a distinct global perspective and a strong focus on innovation. UM offers an array of PhD courses to distance and campus based students who have access to elective, credit bearing modules and the language needs of these students are catered for by the Language Centre. Many PhD candidates choose to take an academic writing course in their first or second year of their degree. In recent years, demand for a more student focused, flexible academic writing course has grown. In line with UM’s policy of supporting innovative teaching practices, the Language Centre’s face-to-face PhD academic writing course, PhD Writing 1, has been transformed into a fully online course containing eight interactive webinar sessions named Online PhD Writing, which runs in addition to the face-to-face rendition. On the back of the success of this course, coupled with increased demand for a follow up course, this author was tasked with creating an advanced online PhD academic writing course to cater for global students with diverse time zones and schedules. This paper evaluates the challenges posed and the advances made in constructing both online courses and explores the technologies used in implementing them.

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The Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Intervention on Inflammation and Stress Biomarkers: a Randomized Controlled Trial

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1007/s12529-020-09891-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 539-555 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elina Järvelä-Reijonen ◽

Sampsa Puttonen ◽

Leila Karhunen ◽

Essi Sairanen ◽

Jaana Laitinen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽

Systemic Inflammation ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Face To Face ◽

Stress Biomarkers ◽

Acceptance And Commitment ◽

Acceptance And Action Questionnaire ◽

The Face

Abstract Background Psychological processes can be manifested in physiological health. We investigated whether acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), targeted on psychological flexibility (PF), influences inflammation and stress biomarkers among working-age adults with psychological distress and overweight/obesity. Method Participants were randomized into three parallel groups: (1) ACT-based face-to-face (n = 65; six group sessions led by a psychologist), (2) ACT-based mobile (n = 73; one group session and mobile app), and (3) control (n = 66; only the measurements). Systemic inflammation and stress markers were analyzed at baseline, at 10 weeks after the baseline (post-intervention), and at 36 weeks after the baseline (follow-up). General PF and weight-related PF were measured with questionnaires (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Weight-Related Difficulties). Results A group × time interaction (p = .012) was detected in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level but not in other inflammation and stress biomarkers. hsCRP decreased significantly in the face-to-face group from week 0 to week 36, and at week 36, hsCRP was lower among the participants in the face-to-face group than in the mobile group (p = .035, post hoc test). Age and sex were stronger predictors of biomarker levels at follow-up than the post-intervention PF. Conclusion The results suggest that ACT delivered in group sessions may exert beneficial effects on low-grade systemic inflammation. More research is needed on how to best apply psychological interventions for the health of both mind and body among people with overweight/obesity and psychological distress. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01738256, Registered 17 August, 2012

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A comparison between two educational methods in the rehabilitation of the microstomia in systemic sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial

Clinical Rehabilitation ◽

10.1177/0269215519858395 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (11) ◽

pp. 1747-1756

Author(s):

Claudia Uras ◽

Simona Mastroeni ◽

Stefano Tabolli ◽

Cinzia Masini ◽

Sabatino Pallotta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Sclerosis ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Mouth Opening ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Educational Materials ◽

Face To Face ◽

Randomized Controlled

Objective: To test the effectiveness of an educational intervention including “face to face” training, compared to a standard information program, to reduce microstomia in women with systemic sclerosis. Design: Single-blind, two-arm, randomized controlled study with a 12-month follow-up period. Setting: Hospital wards of a large Italian dermatological reference center. Subjects: Female inpatients with diagnosis of systemic sclerosis. Interventions: For both groups an information brochure and an audio-visual DVD were developed specifically for the study. The control group was assigned to educational materials alone (i.e. brochures and DVD), while the experimental group, in addition to the same educational materials, received specific “face-to-face” interventions, repeated at each follow-up visit. Main measures: Primary outcome was measurement of the opening of the mouth. Secondary outcomes was the self-reported mouth disability. Results: The intention-to-treat analysis included 63 patients. Compared to the baseline measurement, we observed an increase of the mouth opening of 0.31 cm (95% confidence interval: 0.13–0.49), P = 0.003; in the control group, the increase was 0.13 cm (95% confidence interval: 0.01–0.25), P = 0.06. The difference in improvement between the two groups was not statistically significant ( P = 0.10); however, it reached statistical significance in the per-protocol analysis (39 patients, P = 0.02). Conclusion: Face-to-face nursing rehabilitation training seems to improve microstomia to a greater extent, when compared to a standard intervention based only on written and audio-visual materials.

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A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Study Evaluating the Effect of a Standardised Education Programme on Quality of Life, Disease Severity, and Disease Knowledge in Patients with Moderate-To-Severe Psoriasis: The EDUPSO Study

Dermatology ◽

10.1159/000520289 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Fatma Jendoubi ◽

Stefana Balica ◽

Marie Aleth Richard ◽

Christine Chiaverini ◽

Claire Bernier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Education Programme ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomised Controlled Study ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

To Receive

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that has a profound effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patient education programmes may help patients to gain life-long control over their chronic disease. Objective: This multicentre randomised controlled study evaluated whether a standardised multidisciplinary education programme was beneficial to psoriasis patients. Methods: Adults with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were randomly assigned (1:1) to an intervention group to receive an educational programme or to a control group to receive usual care. Randomization was stratified by previous treatment history. The primary outcome was HRQoL, assessed by scoring the Skindex-29 domains emotion, symptom, and functioning. Psoriasis severity was assessed using the psoriasis area severity index (PASI). Levels of perceived stress, patient knowledge about psoriasis, and patient satisfaction were also assessed. Follow-up evaluations were performed at 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: A total 142 patients formed the intention-to-treat population: 70 in the control group and 72 in the intervention group. Skindex component scores and the PASI were significantly lower at 3, 6, and 12 months as compared to baseline in both groups, but no significant differences were found between the groups. Knowledge about psoriasis improved significantly during follow-up amongst patients from the intervention group compared to controls (68% of correct answers vs. 56%; p < 0.01). Patient satisfaction with psoriasis management and treatment was also better in the intervention group. Conclusions: The standardised education programme did not improve HRQoL and disease severity in psoriasis, but led to a significant improvement in patient knowledge about the disease and increased patient satisfaction.

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