Quality of life in skin diseases as perceived by patients and nurses

Characterization of online support group resources for patients with dermatologic conditions

Dermatologic conditions can have significant quality of life effects on patients. The internet is a first-line accessible resource for patients to seek support and community in managing dermatologic diagnoses. The accessibility and content of online support resources for patients with dermatologic conditions is unclear so we sought to characterize these resources. We conducted online searches utilizing incognito Google, Yahoo, and Bing search engines and identified a total of 36 support group resources. 9 links were for single dermatology support groups and 27 links were for databases of support groups for different dermatologic conditions. We tallied number totals and percentages of online support resources and found wide variability of material in terms of the readability of the group websites, as well as content, medium, and hosts of the groups. Furthermore, we observed an imbalance in representation of resources for certain dermatologic conditions as opposed to others, further highlighting the strong need for the creation of easy-to-access support groups for patients across the spectrum of dermatological disease.

The effectiveness of two different sub-bandage pressure values on healing and quality of life outcomes for patients with venous leg ulcers

Introduction

Venous ulcers account for over 80% of chronic wounds in the lower extremities. Venous ulcers lead to a significant decrease in the patients' quality of life.

Aim

To compare the effectiveness of two different sub-bandage pressure values on healing and quality of life outcomes.

Material and methods

The study included 116 outpatients with venous leg ulcers (VLUs), one group with a moderate compression pressure of 35-40 mm Hg and the second with a high pressure > 45 mm Hg. The Kaplan-Meier curve and log rank test were used to estimate healing by type of compression. Quality of life measures included: Quality of Life Index (QL), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Patients were followed for 24 weeks.

Results

Kaplan-Maier analysis showed that a high pressure leads to a higher proportion of healed VLUs, compared to the moderate pressure (p = 0.011). QL, GDS and NPRS at the beginning were equalized between the groups. In patients with a high compression, there was a statistically significant increase in QL (p = 0.005), decrease in GDS (p = 0.040) and NPRS (p = 0.002) during 24 weeks. In patients with moderate compressions there was a statistically significant increase in QL (p = 0.013).

Conclusions

Patients who received high pressure, healed faster. When a high pressure was applied, there was a statistically significant increase in QL, decrease in GDS and NPRS compared to the group of patients to whom the moderate pressure was applied.