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Updated: Sep 28, 2025
The Goeckerman Regimen for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis
Published on: July 11, 2013
Patient preferences for topical psoriasis treatments: a discrete choice experiment
Suna Hoelker1, Nadia Ninosu1, Sylvia Buettner2
1Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
Background:
Topical medication continues to be the most frequently prescribed therapy for psoriasis. However, patients are often dissatisfied with their topical medication, and adherence to this type of therapy is particularly poor.
Objective:
To investigate the preferences of patients with psoriasis regarding the process and outcome attributes associated with topical treatments and to assess influencing factors.
Methods:
A discrete choice experiment was conducted to analyze patient preferences for topical psoriasis treatments based on outcome attributes (probabilities of 90% improvement, 50% improvement, skin atrophy and skin irritation) and process attributes (treatment cost not covered by health insurance, treatment duration, location, frequency and formulation).
Results:
The study cohort (N = 184) considered probabilities of 50% (Relative Importance Score (RIS)=41.0) and 90% (RIS = 33.9) improvement most important, followed by risk of skin atrophy (RIS = 26.4) and treatment cost (RIS = 22.2). Treatment location (RIS = 18.9), risk of skin irritation (RIS = 16.2), treatment frequency (RIS = 13.3) and formulation (RIS = 11.0) were considered less relevant. Income, cardiovascular disease, number of visits and current topical therapy influenced treatment preferences.
Conclusions:
Averaged across the cohort, participants preferred an efficient topical treatment associated with a low risk of skin atrophy and reasonable personal expenses. Individual preferences should be integrated into a shared decision-making process about psoriasis treatment.
