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 .
Scoring of atopic dermatitis by SCORAD using a training atlas by investigators from different disciplines. ETAC Study Group. Early Treatment of the Atopic Child.
The ETAC ( Early Treatment of the Atopic Child ) study , a multi-national double-blind placebo-controlled r and omized trials , has been in progress since 1994 . Fifty-six centers in Europe and Canada participate in this study . A total of 817 children with atopic dermatitis [ AD ] were recruited . The severity of AD was scored using the SCORAD ( objective criteria ) . Ninety-eight investigators ( mostly pediatricians ) were trained by three members of the European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis [ ETFAD ] to st and ardize their objective SCORAD scoring ( system developed by the ETFAD ) . The experts selected photographs and prepared a training atlas . The percentages of photographs assessed by the 98 non-expert investigators below , within and above the range of evaluations by the three experts were calculated . Taking over and underscoring together , edema/papulation was the easiest intensity item to score ( 82 % within the range by the experts ) . The global symptom score , as well as lichenification , edema/papulation , oozing and excoriation registered by physicians with dermatological experience were not statistically significantly different from those by other . Erythema was statistically significantly better scored by those with dermatological experience . The results of the Euclidean Distance method showed that the item excoriations gave the largest distance . Erythema and excoriations were scored better by dermatologically experienced physicians ( t-test , p = 0.042 and p = 0.063 respectively ) , but lichenification was better scored by non-dermatologically experienced physicians ( p = 0.013 ) . The extent of surface area involved in the disease was calculated on 3 sets of photographs . Most evaluations by the 98 nonexpert investigators were within the range of the experts . Dermatologically experienced physicians scored significantly better than the others ( t-test , p = 0.006 ) . This training program is useful for st and ardizing the scoring in AD and indicates that SCORAD can be used by investigators from different disciplines
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 .