Improving Practice to Improve Quality of Life in Patients with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

The goal of the project is to improve quality of life (QOL) in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) through improving physician and non-physician clinicians’ knowledge, competence, confidence, and performance in assessing psoriasis, PsA, and QOL using scales and tools. To achieve this, the project will target dermatologists, other interested physicians, and non-physician clinicians from the US who have shown a commitment to improving the quality of care for patients with psoriasis and PsA. Participants will attend a workshop comprised of didactic presentations, interactive patient assessment demonstrations, and virtual patient assessment experiences. During the workshop, participants will complete pre- and post-questionnaires to measure the direct impact of the workshop on their knowledge, competence, confidence, and self-reported practice patterns. After the workshop, participants will be asked to complete an evaluation to measure the perceived impact the workshop will have on their knowledge and practice. Participants will continue their learning experience following the workshop by completing baseline and follow-up chart audits, completing a follow-up questionnaire, and recruiting patients to complete baseline and follow-up questionnaires. Chart audits will measure documented improvements in participants’ practice, while the follow-up questionnaire will measure participants’ retention of knowledge, competence, and confidence. These data will be correlated with improvements in patients’ QOL and treatment satisfaction as measured by the patient questionnaire to determine if a blended learning experience like the one described here leads to improved QOL among patients with psoriasis and PsA.