Application of atopic dermatitis control tool (ADCT) for daily practice in a community-based dermatology clinic

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a relapsing and remitting course. It is important to maintain remission over the long term in order to preserve patients' quality of life and achieve treatment goals. To identify the status of long-term control, the application of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is useful. We applied the Atopic Dermatitis Control Tool (ADCT) to our everyday practice. ADCT is a holistic scale with 6-items covering multiple aspects of disease control. Between July and December 2021, all the patients with AD over the age of 12 years who visited our clinic were evaluated using the ADCT and Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) on each visit. A total of 238 patients (mean age 34.4+/-14.5 years old; 63% male) completed the ADCT. In total, 568 sets of measurements were obtained. The average ADCT score was 7.8+/-4.9, and the ADCT score significantly correlated with that of the IGA. 62.9% of patients were categorized as having good control (ADCT score < 7) at least once during the study period. The ADCT score of those who regularly visited was 6.5+/-3.9 (n = 68), while the irregular patients had a score of 10.0+/-4.9 (n = 75). The ADCT score of new patients on their first visit was 11.1+/-5.7 (n = 29), and upon remission, the score was 3.9+/-2.9. Based on our experience, measuring ADCT in all AD patients is feasible. By continuing this practice over the long term, it is expected to understand patients' long-term disease control status and support treatment decision-making.