title: Usefulness of Rajka & Langeland Eczema Severity Score in Clinical Practice.
abstract: Simple, validated eczema severity scores are required for the evaluation of interventions. The Rajka & Langeland (R&L) scale is based on 3 domains (extent, course, and intensity); however, its validity is not yet confirmed. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality aspects of the R&L scale in clinical practice. In the first part of the study, experts and consumers judged the content validity of the scale. The second part of the study was performed with 87 children during a 4-month eczema school. Construct validity, internal consistency, sensitivity to change, time consumption and health-related quality of life variables were investigated. The content of the R&L scale was considered valid by 45 panellists. Inter- and intra-observer reliability was very good. Divergent construct validity was adequate, while convergent construct validity and internal consistency were inadequate. The R&L scale was able to define a significant improvement in eczema during the eczema school. The time required for completing the R&L assessment was significantly shorter than for objective Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD). The R&L scale is a simple, fast, valid, reliable and sensitive tool for scoring of atopic dermatitis in everyday clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Skåne University Hospital, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden. Agneta.Ganemo@skane.se, agneta@ganemo.se.
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gånemo
authors.forename: Åke
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Svedman
authors.forename: Britt-Marie
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Grönberg
authors.forename: Ann-Charlotte Öhman
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Carl-Fredrik
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Wahlgren
mesh_terms: D004485:Eczema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D012074:Remission Induction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome