Patient-centered online management of psoriasis: a randomized controlled equivalency trial

Previous research suggests that technology-enabled health care delivery may improve access to dermatologic specialty care. Outcomes research using validated outcomes measures is necessary for evaluation of novel health care delivery models.

We sought to compare the clinical equivalence of a novel patient-centered online health care delivery model with standard in-office care for follow-up treatment of patients with psoriasis.

A total of 64 participants with psoriasis were randomized to receive follow-up care either in-office or online over a 24-week period. Patients randomized to the online group underwent standardized training on capturing high-quality digital images of their psoriatic skin and transmitting these images and clinical history to a dermatologist securely. The dermatologist then performed asynchronous, online evaluation and provided recommendations directly to patients. We used clinically validated disease severity and quality-of-life measures to assess effectiveness between the models.

Both online and in-office groups showed improvement in psoriasis disease severity as measured by mean improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (online group: mean = -3.4, in-office: mean = -3.4). Patient-centered online care resulted in similar improvement in psoriasis severity compared with in-person follow-up care (mean difference in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index change 0.1, 95% confidence interval -2.2 to 2.3, a priori equivalence margin of 2.5). Investigator Global Assessment and Dermatology Life Quality Index scores also improved during the study period; no significant differences existed between the two groups.

The follow-up period was limited to 24 weeks.

A patient-centered online model may be an effective alternative to in-office care for follow-up management of psoriasis.