Harmonizing epidemiological research methodology for atopic dermatitis research: protocol for the EPISTAR...

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Epidemiological studies on atopic dermatitis (AD) lack standardized methods for data collection, diagnostic criteria, and severity measurement.
• This lack of standardization hinders cross-study comparisons, population difference recognition, and pooled analyses, making AD burden assessment difficult.
• The Epidemiological Study Designs for Atopic Dermatitis Research (EPISTAR) initiative was formed to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve consensus on essential domain items for future population-based epidemiological studies of atopic dermatitis.
• To establish standardized methods for assessing these key variables in AD research.

Main Methods:

• Phase 1: Expert steering group (dermatology, epidemiology, patient representatives) to generate an initial list of variables by literature review and systematic reviews.
• Phase 2: International consensus exercise using eDelphi methodology.
• Phase 3: Online consensus conference with diverse international stakeholders rating items and measurement methods; iterative consensus rounds with item removal.

Main Results:

• Consensus criteria will be used to analyze data, reporting raw numbers, means, and frequencies.
• Items reaching consensus will be refined or removed in subsequent Delphi rounds.
• The process aims to identify and agree upon core elements for AD epidemiological studies.

Conclusions:

• A harmonized approach to atopic dermatitis epidemiology research is proposed.
• This standardization is expected to improve data quality and comparability across studies.
• The initiative has the potential to facilitate meta-analyses and inform evidence-based clinical guidelines and public health policies for AD.