PsoBarrier EU: Large survey evaluating quality of care in Europe

The PsoBarrier EU study was a European effort investigating over 1,300 patients with psoriasis. This study was awarded the best educational poster for furthering our understanding of how psoriasis and possibly psoriatic arthritis can be effectively treated with available measures [1]. This is one of the first international studies on barriers in psoriasis care.

A previous nationwide study demonstrated that psoriasis care continuously improved in Germany between 2004 and 2017, although some deficits persist. Few comparable studies in European countries were available. The PsoBarrier EU analysed the quality of healthcare in 4 European countries: Spain, Germany, Denmark, and Poland [2,3]. Patients were asked identical questions on a broad spectrum of issues, mainly patient-reported outcomes, but also questions about the severity of the disease.

Dr Anna Langenbruch (Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany) shared the results of the study concerning the long-term perspective of psoriasis and the therapeutic course in time [1]. Severity measured by PASI and quality of life measured by DLQI were highest in patients from Poland compared with the other countries, suggesting differences in healthcare between the participating countries. Nonetheless, satisfaction with the treatment was similar in Poland (65.1%) compared with Spain (68.5%), albeit lower than in Denmark (86.7%) and Spain (90.9%).

The next step will be to further analyse predictors of barriers for guideline-compliant treatment and to interpret those in the light of the respective healthcare system, and to identify needs for further action, which can be different depending on the healthcare system.

1. Langenbruch A. Quality of care and barriers to care for psoriasis in Europe – results of the PsoBarrier EU study. Poster P76, 6^thWorld Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis Conference, 30 June–3 July 2021.
2. Augustin M, et al. Arch Dermatol Res. 2016;308:389–400.
3. Langenbruch A, et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021;35:1536–42.

 

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Posted on 17 September 202116 September 2021