title: Clinical meaning in skin-specific quality of life instruments: a comparison of the Dermatology Life Quality Index and Skindex banding systems.
abstract: Clinical meaning can be assigned to scores of health status measures by using a variety of approaches. The anchor-based approach involves determining the difference on a quality of life (QOL) scale that corresponds to a self-reported small but important change on a global scale given concomitantly, which serves as an independent anchor. This article focuses on the anchor-based banding approach and reviews methods to assign clinical meaning to QOL measures, specifically the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Skindex. This article also includes pilot data that compares the DLQI and Skindex using these previously validated banding systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Emory University School of Medicine, 1648 Pierce Drive, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Laura K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: DeLong
authors.forename: Suephy C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D003880:Dermatology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome