A Randomized Control Trial of Patient-initiated Hospital Follow-up for Patients With Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 1 to 3% of the European population. Treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis often requires lifetime routine reviews by hospital dermatologist. Patterns of hospital review vary, but most patients attend follow-up every 12-16 week by dermatologist. At routine reviews the patient disease is often quiet and little intervention or no intervention is required, and times were the patient need help the time is limited for in-depth consultation. Both patient and healthcare professional requested more time. In-depth consultation is important in the care of psoriasis, because moderate to severe psoriasis has a significant impact on quality of life and patient have an increased incidence of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, overweight, hyperlipidemia and exposure to tobacco and alcohol. These comorbidities and the psychosocial burden must be addressed by clinicians to help patients to acquire or to maintain competencies that are required to live with a chronic disease.

Patient-initiated hospital follow-up for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis might reduce inappropriate follow-up appointments, improve rapid access to specialist care and release resource to further in-depth consultation. If the patient is empowered to initiate hospital review thus patient's individual needs dictate the content, duration and contact with clinicians. It is our goal that an individual needs-based patient involvement in the shape of patient-initiated hospital follow-up,will be perceived as a benefit of the patients who 1) meets a high safety in the patient's own provision of medical treatment, 2) increase the patient's knowledge of the lifestyle and prevention of comorbidities and 3) strengths patient's overall satisfaction with treatment.