Feasibility and Utility of the Psoriasis Symptom Inventory (PSI) in Clinical Care Settings: A Study from the International Psoriasis Council

Background: The Psoriasis Symptom Inventory (PSI) is a patient-reported outcome measure designed to assess psoriasis signs and symptoms. Objectives: The aim was to assess the usefulness of the PSI in enhancing patient care in the clinical setting. Methods: Eight dermatology clinics in six countries enrolled adults representing the full spectrum of psoriasis severity who regularly received care at the clinic. Patients were administered the eight-item PSI (score range 0–32; higher scores indicate greater severity) while waiting for the physician; the physician conducted a static physician global assessment (sPGA) and estimated psoriasis-affected body surface area (BSA) at the same visit. Physicians completed a brief questionnaire after each patient visit, and were interviewed about the PSI after all patients were seen. Results: The clinics enrolled 278 patients; mean [standard deviation (SD)] psoriasis-affected BSA was 7.6% (11.4). Based on BSA, 47.8% had mild psoriasis, 29.1% had moderate psoriasis, and 23.0% had severe psoriasis. Based on sPGA, 18.7% were clear/almost clear, 67.3% were mild/moderate, and 14.0% were severe/very severe. The mean (SD) PSI total score was 12.2 (8.3). Physicians spent a mean (SD) 4.9 (4.8) min discussing PSI findings with their patients (range 0–20 min). Key benefits of PSI discussions included the following: new information regarding symptom location and severity for physicians; prompting of quality-of-life discussions; better understanding of patient treatment priorities; change in treatment regimens to target specific symptoms or areas; and improvement of patient–physician relationship. Conclusions: The PSI was useful for treated and untreated patients to enhance patient–physician communication, and influenced treatment decisions.