Measurement of vital signs for skin diseases.
Measurement of vital signs for skin diseases.
复制标题
皮肤病生命体征的测量。
DOI：
10.1111/j.0022-202x.2005.23796.x
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发表时间：
2005
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Chren,Mary-Margaret
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Chren,Mary-Margaret
Well aware of Oscar Wilde's admonition that “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative” I realize that calls for improved measurement in dermatologic clinical research have been consistent, persistent, and long-standing (Marks et al, 1989; Chren, 1997, 2000; Charman et al, 2003). What is the basis for this emphasis? Have things improved? What are the current challenges and next steps for this field?Accurate measurement is particularly important for dermatologic clinical research. As in other fields, to document the effects of our care and to compare care with different therapies, we need accurate measurement tools for the “state” of a given skin condition. Measuring the state of the skin is difficult, however. In general, our patients are ambulatory, living with skin diseases rather than dying from them; moreover, these diseases do not often affect conventional laboratory values. Most importantly, we know instinctively that the severity of a skin disease is often not captured simply in its physical characteristics—its scale, induration, erythema—but also includes aspects that can be determined only by patients' reports—pruritus, pain, effects on quality of life. Thus, our challenges are substantial: we must measure not only what we see clinically (using clinimetrics; Feinstein, 1987), but also patients' reports of their experiences (using psychometrics).
