CLINICAL IMPLICATION S Only SCORAD , EASI , and POEM currently perform adequately .
BACKGROUND Valid and reliable outcome measurements are a prerequisite for evidence -based practice .
The comparative validity and reliability of outcome measurements for assessing atopic eczema ( AE ) severity is unclear .
OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the validity , reliability , sensitivity to change , and ease of use of outcome measurements for AE .
We also sought to give recommendations on which outcomes to use in clinical research and for clinical monitoring .
Treatment of infants with atopic eczema with pimecrolimus cream 1% improves parents' quality of life: a multicenter, randomized trial.
Atopic eczema begins primarily in infancy or early childhood , and sleep loss due to night-time pruritus can have a considerable impact on patients ' and parents ' quality of life ( QoL ) . In this study , infants ( n = 196 ) with mild to severe atopic eczema were r and omized 2:1 , double-blind , to receive either pimecrolimus cream 1 % ( Elidel , Novartis Pharma , Nürnberg , Germany ) or the corresponding vehicle bid for 4 wk , followed by a 12 wk , open-label phase and a 4 wk , treatment-free , follow-up period . The parents ' QoL was measured at baseline and at the end of the double-blind phase , using the question naire ' QoL in Parents of Children with Atopic Dermatitis ' ( PQoL-AD ) , thus data presented here refer to the initial 4-wk treatment phase only . After 4 wk of double-blind treatment , an increase in the mean percentage change from baseline in eczema area and severity index of 71.5 % was observed with pimecrolimus , compared with 19.4 % with vehicle . The increase in efficacy was paralleled by the following mean percentage changes from baseline in the five domains of the question naire in pimecrolimus and vehicle , respectively : psychosomatic well-being : 14.6 % vs. 6.2 % ; effects on social life : 6.7 % vs. 2.3 % ; confidence in medical treatment : 10.0 % vs. 3.7 % ; emotional coping : 16.1 % vs. 6.5 % ; acceptance of disease : 19.6 % vs. 7.0 % . Analysis ( ancova ) of the dependent variable difference from baseline and the covariate baseline value revealed values of p < 0.05 for all five domains , despite the very short duration of the study . It is concluded that improvements in  atopic eczema in infants achieved by treatment with pimecrolimus have a significant beneficial effect on the QoL of parents
CLINICAL IMPLICATION S Only SCORAD , EASI , and POEM currently perform adequately .
BACKGROUND Valid and reliable outcome measurements are a prerequisite for evidence -based practice .
The comparative validity and reliability of outcome measurements for assessing atopic eczema ( AE ) severity is unclear .
OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the validity , reliability , sensitivity to change , and ease of use of outcome measurements for AE .
We also sought to give recommendations on which outcomes to use in clinical research and for clinical monitoring .