Medication-related factors affecting health care outcomes and costs for patients with psoriasis in the United States

Association Between the Mental Health of Patients With Psoriasis and Their Satisfaction With Physicians

Importance

How patients' mental health is associated with their satisfaction with physicians is rarely studied among adults with skin conditions.

Objective

To examine the association between mental health comorbidities in patients with psoriasis and their satisfaction with physicians.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective survey analysis used 14 years of nationally representative longitudinal data on adults in the United States with psoriasis from the 2004-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Statistical analysis was performed from October 1, 2018, to December 1, 2019. Mental health comorbidities were measured by performance on the Kessler 6-Item Psychological Distress Scale (score range, 0-24, where a score ≥13 is considered an indicator of a serious mental illness and significant psychological distress) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 (score range, 0-6, where a score ≥3 is considered a positive screening result for a depressive disorder).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Patient satisfaction with physician, measured by the patient-physician communication composite score.

Results

A weighted total of 8 876 767 US adults with psoriasis (unweighted total, 652 patients) (weighted; 54% women; mean [SEM] age, 52.1 [0.7] years) were analyzed; 27% of adults had moderate or severe symptoms of psychological distress, and 21% had moderate or severe symptoms of depression. Patients with moderate or severe psychological distress symptoms were less satisfied with their clinicians compared with those with no or mild psychological distress symptoms (mean Kessler 6-Item Psychological Distress Scale scores for no or mild symptoms, 14.3 [95% CI, 14.2-14.4]; moderate symptoms, 13.2 [95% CI, 13.0-13.4]; and severe symptoms, 13.1 [95% CI, 12.5-13.7]; P < .001). In addition, compared with patients with no or mild psychological distress symptoms, patients with moderate psychological distress symptoms were 2.8 times more likely to report low patient satisfaction (adjusted odds ratio, 2.8 [95% CI, 1.5-4.9]; P = .001), and patients with severe psychological distress symptoms were 2.3 times more likely to report low patient satisfaction (adjusted odds ratio, 2.3 [95% CI, 1.1-4.7]; P = .03). Furthermore, patients with moderate or severe depression symptoms were less satisfied with their clinicians compared with those with no or mild depression symptoms (mean Patient Health Questionnaire 2 scores for no or mild symptoms, 14.3 [95% CI, 14.2-14.4]; moderate symptoms, 13.2 [95% CI, 12.9-13.6]; and severe symptoms, 13.0 [95% CI, 12.6-13.4]; P = .002). In addition, compared with patients with no or mild depression symptoms, patients with moderate depression symptoms were 4.6 times more likely to report low patient satisfaction (adjusted odds ratio, 4.6 [95% CI, 2.1-10.0]; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study suggests that patients with greater psychological distress and depression report lower satisfaction with their clinicians than those without such mental health symptoms. Clinicians need to be adaptable and supportive when communicating with patients with mental health comorbidities. Evaluating clinician performance solely based on patient satisfaction can be problematic and incomplete.

Worldwide utilization of topical remedies in treatment of psoriasis: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To review published literature describing the global use of topical antipsoriatics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Search for English-language articles in Embase, Pubmed, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library.

RESULTS

Fifty-four selected publications were found, describing psoriasis patients' use of topical antipsoriatics, using six different methods to collect data. The eight most frequently used topical treatments from the regions North/South America, North/Central/South Europe, Asia, Middle East and Australia were: corticosteroids used by 16-79%, complementary and alternative medicines used by 10-62%, phototherapies used by 0.4-75%, calcipotriol used by 4.2-73%, corticosteroid/calcipotriol combinations used by 3.3-71%, tar used by 0.8-66%, anthralin used by 15% and emollients used as monotherapy by 1-23%. Rates of patient-reported adherence to topical remedies ranged from 51% to 90% and rates of patient-reported satisfaction with topical as it pertains to symptom control ranged from 12% to 52%.

CONCLUSION

The identified use patterns are varying and reflect a lack of data from large parts of the world and noncomparable studies using heterogeneous study designs. However, this study emphasizes the importance of medical professionals involvement of the patient with respect to choosing prescribed topical treatment and the possibility of patients' use of alternative treatments. More drug utilization studies, both survey and register based, from different parts of the world are needed to provide more conclusive evidence about patients' use of topical antipsoriatics.

A systematic literature review to compare quality of life in psoriasis with other chronic diseases using EQ-5D-derived utility values

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated dermatological disease associated with substantial economic, clinical, and humanistic burden.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to understand the disutility of patients with psoriasis vulgaris, using mean baseline EuroQoL five dimensions (EQ-5D) index scores reported in the published literature, and to compare this to patients with other chronic diseases.

METHODS

Two systematic literature searches were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Searches were conducted in ten databases including Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The first search (December 2013) used search terms psoria* AND (EQ5D OR EQ OR EUROQoL). Only publications of original research, which reported baseline EQ-5D scores for mild/moderate/severe psoriasis, were included. The second search (March 2014) used the terms (systematic review) AND (EQ5D OR EQ 5D OR EuroQoL). Titles were screened by two independent reviewers. Four independent reviewers reviewed titles and full-length papers. EQ-5D scores for psoriasis patients were qualitatively compared with scores from patients with other chronic diseases identified through the literature search.

RESULTS

Of 133 publications on psoriasis, 12 met the inclusion criteria. The mean EQ-5D index scores for psoriasis (all severities) ranged from 0.52 (standard deviation: 0.39) to 0.9 (standard deviation: 0.1). Of the 48 results from the second search, six met the inclusion criteria. The reported EQ-5D lower limit for other diseases ranged from 0.20 (Type 2 diabetes mellitus) to 0.66 (liver diseases). The highest EQ-5D estimates for other diseases ranged from 0.79 (liver diseases) to 0.93 (cancer patients). Both lower and upper EQ-5D estimates in psoriasis patients were within the range of those reported for other chronic diseases.

CONCLUSION

Comparative studies of morbidity are relevant in health care studies and patient advocacy. This systematic review demonstrates that the ranges of disutility among psoriasis patients are within the ranges of other chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, end-stage renal diseases, liver diseases, cancer, and visual disorders).

Social support and adaptation to the disease in men and women with psoriasis

Social support was shown to be an important factor buffering negative effects of stress in a range of clinical populations. Little is known, however, about the role of social support in the population of patients with psoriasis although strong psychosocial stress has been implicated in this disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between social support and selected indices of adaptation to life with the disease, including health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms and acceptance of life with the disease, in a sample of patients with psoriasis. Additionally, gender differences in these relationships were analyzed. One-hundred-four patients with psoriasis completed psychological tests measuring disease-related social support, health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms and acceptance of life with the disease. Psoriasis severity was assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. The patients reporting higher social support levels had significantly higher quality of life, lower depression levels, and higher acceptance of life with the disease. The strengths of these effects, however, were different in women and men. Higher social support was slightly more closely associated with better acceptance of life with the disease in men than in women. However, higher social support was more closely associated to lower depression and better quality of life in women than in men. Among different types of social support, tangible support was found to be the best predictor for the all adaptation indices. Effects of social support perceived by psoriasis patients on adaptation to the disease may be gender-related and exact pathways of these effects may depend on the type on the dimension of social support and the selected type of adaptation indicator. Tangible support seems the most important type of support contributing to better adaptation in both women and men with psoriasis.

The Burden of Psoriasis and Barriers to Satisfactory Care: Results from a Canadian Patient Survey

Background:

The physical, mental, social, and financial burdens experienced by Canadians with psoriasis are relatively unexplored.

Objective:

To gain an understanding of the impact of psoriasis on Canadians.

Methods:

An online survey, “Stand Up and Speak Out,” was provided to Psoriasis Education Program users who had given consent to be contacted.

Results:

Ninety-five percent of respondents had moderate to severe psoriasis, a high proportion relative to similar studies. Respondents reported medical and psychological comorbidities, with prevalence up to fourfold higher than Canadian background rates. Respondents also reported reduced income and increased unemployment, at levels that increased with psoriasis severity. Use of biologics was associated with high levels of satisfaction relative to other treatment options. However, biologic use was not uniform but was strongly correlated with insured status and annual income.

Conclusion:

In this severely affected population of Canadians with psoriasis, the physical, mental, social, and financial burden of disease was high.

Do utilization management controls for phototherapy increase the prescription of biologics?

The use of phototherapy for psoriasis has declined because of inconvenience, managed care disincentives, and poor reimbursements. However, phototherapy is safer than other options, and the efficacy rates for different methods of phototherapy are among the highest of all available treatment options. Phototherapy is also one of the least costly treatments for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. We hypothesize that utilization management controls on phototherapy shift patients to more expensive and risky systemic treatments. Reducing disincentives on phototherapy will benefit both patients and payors, while increasing physicians' ability to manage this debilitating disease.

Percutaneous treatment of peripheral vascular disease: the role of diabetes and inflammation

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a growing health problem for many Americans and often occurs along with other cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes mellitus (DM), low-grade inflammation, hypertension, and lipid disorders. Intermittent claudication (IC), an early manifestation of PAD, commonly leads to reduced quality of life for patients who are limited in their ambulation. While recent wide adoption of percutaneous peripheral interventional (PPI) techniques has increased the number patients being aggressively treated for IC, the overall effectiveness of PPI for the treatment of IC is not well known, especially for DM patients who have both hemodynamic and functional obstacles to treatment success. This review is designed to illustrate how treatment outcomes for IC can be measured by different modalities and how diabetes and inflammation can influence those outcomes. In the setting of greater concern for health care resources and clinical accountability, better understanding of treatment outcomes and efficacy will help us manage these complex challenges.