The Contact Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (CDQL): Survey Development and Content Validity Assessment

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Quality of Life Research
• Health Outcomes Measurement

Background:

• Limited measurement and reporting of quality of life (QoL) in contact dermatitis (CD) patients.
• Need for a standardized QoL assessment tool specific to CD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a standardized Contact Dermatitis Quality of Life index (CDQL) for adult patients.
• To create a comprehensive QoL measure for CD.

Main Methods:

• Expert consensus using a modified Delphi process.
• Two rounds of web-based surveys sent to physicians attending the 2018 American Contact Dermatitis Society meeting.
• Consensus achieved if ≥78% ranked items as relevant/very relevant and median score was ≥3.25.

Main Results:

• 22 topics met consensus for inclusion in the CDQL.
• The index addresses symptoms, emotions, daily living functions, social/physical functions, work/school functions, and treatment.
• Developed based on physician expert consensus.

Conclusions:

• The Contact Dermatitis Quality of Life index (CDQL) is a comprehensive, CD-specific QoL measure.
• Developed via expert consensus using a modified Delphi process.
• Intended for use by healthcare professionals caring for adult CD patients.