Conditions: Psoriasis
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 40
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
To evaluate whether participation in an Internet-based intervention helps improve short-term and long-term psoriasis treatment outcomes, in particular, adherence.

Detailed description:
An investigator-blinded, prospective study of subjects with mild to moderate psoriasis will be conducted. Forty subjects ages 18 years and older will be enrolled.The Internet-based survey will be piloted to evaluate its effect on adherence to topical psoriasis medication. Subjects randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the Internet-survey group will log their impression of the state of their psoriasis on a weekly basis. Subjects in both the intervention and control groups will receive standard-of-care topical fluocinonide 0.05% ointment to be applied to affected areas on the skin twice daily. Adherence to fluocinonide will be assessed using Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS®) caps, electronic monitors affixed to the medication containers. Investigators and subjects will be blinded to the adherence data until the final (Month 12) treatment visit.

Arms:
arm 1: Treatment phase is 12 months. During the intervention, each subject will receive fluocinonide 0.05% ointment, a standard treatment for psoriasis. If their psoriasis could be suitably treated with fluocinonide, then they will be asked to participate in the study. At the initial study visit, fluocinonide will be dispensed in a small jar with a MEMS® electronic monitoring cap attached. Subjects will be asked to apply the medication twice daily. They will be asked to the entire affected area, excluding face and genitals. Subjects will be instructed to apply the smallest amount of study medication sufficient to cover the affected areas. At the end of the treatment phase, subjects will have a feedback session with specific results of adherence behavior revealed. They will receive weekly surveys via internet to complete. arm 2: Standard treatment for psoriasis. If it is felt that their psoriasis could be suitably treated with fluocinonide, then they will be asked to participate in the study. At the initial study visit, fluocinonide will be dispensed to the subjects in a small jar with a MEMS® electronic monitoring cap attached. Subjects will be asked to apply the medication twice daily. All subjects will be assigned to treatment with topical fluocinonide to the entire affected area, excluding face and genitals. Subjects will be instructed to apply the smallest amount of study medication sufficient to cover the affected areas. At the end of the treatment phase, subjects will have a feedback session with specific results of adherence behavior revealed.

Interventions: intervention 1: Internet Survey intervention 2: fluocinonide 0.05% ointment
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None intervention 2: None

Protocol document: