title: PSOCUBE, a multidimensional assessment of psoriasis patients as a both clinically/practically sustainable and evidence-based algorithm.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is increasing awareness of the clinical relevance of psoriasis comorbidities and of the importance of timely and effective screening for such comorbidities in the management of psoriatic patients. Previous works have focused on assessing evidence for prevalence of comorbidities and on the best available evidence for sensitivity in diagnosing suspected comorbidities. No algorithms are available, which have been tested on large numbers of physicians concerning the acceptance of such algorithms both by practicing clinical dermatologists and by their consulting specialists from other fields.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To propose a multidimensional assessment algorithm for psoriasis comorbidities which may prove at the same time enough sensitive and practically sustainable in daily clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  After an exhaustive literature search, we performed a Delphi procedure involving 50 dedicated dermatological centres to obtain a standardized assessment algorithm, which would meet requirements of sustainability and acceptability both from the point of view of Evidence-Based Medicine as well as from the point of view of practical and clinical feasibility: to meet both requirements, results from the Delphi procedure were elaborated and modified by a restricted panel of experts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The procedure has yielded PSOCUBE, a three-dimensional table comprising 14 clinical examination and history taking items, 32 screening laboratory and instrumental exams and 11 clinimetric scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PSOCUBE, a simple algorithm, may be employed by practising dermatologists to perform standardized assessment procedures on psoriatic patients raising the chances of early recognition of patients at risk for comorbidities, thus fostering more effective prevention; PSOCUBE may therefore contribute to reduce the overall impact of this chronic, widespread disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Padua, Italy.|Research Unit of Behavioural Medicine, Health Psychology and Empirical Psychosomatics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Linder
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Unit, Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi IRCCS, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Altomare
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and STD, ARNAS-Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Neurosciences, Dermatologic Clinic, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amerio
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Balato
authors.affiliation: Dermatological Clinic, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic Marche University, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campanati
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section of Dermatology and Venereology, University of Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gisondi
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical, Preventive and Oncology Dermatology, Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, Florence University, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prignano
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saraceno
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piaserico
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D019468:Disease Management; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*