Person-Centred Dermatology Self-care Index: a translation and validation study

Self-management is important to successfully managing chronic skin diseases. The Person-Centred Dermatology Self-care Index (PeDeSI) is a self-efficacy theory-based questionnaire tool to measure education and support needs of adults with long-term skin conditions. The aim of this research was to translate the PeDeSI into German (PeDeSI-G) and to explore the validity of this tool.

The instrument was translated by five translators working independently. User understanding and relevance were evaluated by nurses, patients and physicians. The translated version was modified and applied in a subsequent validation study. Demographic and other variables, PeDeSI-G and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores of dermatological patients were obtained.

PeDeSi-G and DLQI scores were obtained from 100 patients. A conceptually and semantically equivalent German translation of the PeDeSI was developed. There was a statistically significant difference between in- and outpatients (p<0.001). PeDeSI-G scores were most strongly correlated with disease duration and DLQI scores.

Validation results indicate that the PeDeSI-G is able to discriminate between patients with different educational and support needs for this patient group. Newly diagnosed patients and patients admitted to the hospital for the first time might benefit most from the PeDeSI-G assessment. The PeDeSI-G is a valid tool for assessing and evaluating the support needs of German-speaking patients with chronic skin disease.