Original Article
Translating the Science of Quality of Life into Practice: What Do Dermatology Life Quality Index Scores Mean?

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-202X.2005.23621.xGet rights and content
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This study's aim was to determine the relationship between Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores and a Global Question (GQ) concerning patients' views of the overall impairment of their skin-related quality of life (QoL), and to express this relationship by identifying bands of DLQI scores equivalent to each GQ descriptor. A DLQI questionnaire and the GQ were mailed to 3834 adult general dermatology outpatients. There were 1993 (52%) responses: male 841; female 1152. Mean DLQI score=4.86 (range 0–30, standard deviation (SD)=5.83). Mean GQ score=1.22 (range 0–4, SD=1.20). The mean, mode, and median of the GQ scores for each DLQI score were used to devise several sets of bands of DLQI scores, and κ coefficients of agreement calculated. The set proposed for adoption is: DLQI scores 0–1=no effect on patient's life (GQ=0, n=754); DLQI scores 2–5=small effect on patient's life (GQ=1, n=611); DLQI scores 6–10=moderate effect on patient's life (GQ=2, n=327); DLQI scores 11–20=very large effect on patient's life (GQ=3, n=242); DLQI scores 21–30=extremely large effect on patient's life (GQ=4, n=59); κ coefficient 0.489. Banding of the DLQI will aid the clinical interpretation of an individual's DLQI score and allow DLQI scores to inform clinical decisions.

Keywords

global question
quality of life
questionnaire
score meaning
skin disease

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Declaration of interest: A.Y. Finlay is joint copyright owner of the DLQI; his department gains income from the use of the DLQI.