To understand the impact that atopic dermatitis is having on your life, you need to monitor your symptoms and how they affect your day-to-day activities. The assessment below will help you create a custom report that can help you discover the impact of atopic dermatitis.
When you finish, you’ll get a customized report. You can use this report when you talk to your healthcare provider about managing your atopic dermatitis.
This assessment is called the Patient-Oriented Score of Atopic Dermatitis (PO-SCORAD). It is a validated self-assessment.
The PO-SCORAD was developed by the European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis in 2011. This scale is for patients to fill out on their own. It’s like one healthcare providers use, so it can help improve their discussions with patients.
The PO-SCORAD will help you create a record of where and how severe your atopic dermatitis symptoms are. Select each area of the body affected by atopic dermatitis. Select an area again to remove it.
Select each symptom and rate the level of severity of each one.
Indicate on the scale how much of a problem disrupted sleep and itching are for you.
Do you have trouble sleeping?
No trouble sleeping A lot of trouble sleeping
Are you bothered by itching?
No itching Unbearable itching
REFERENCE: PO-SCORAD Investigators Group—Patient-Oriented SCORAD (PO-SCORAD): a new self-assessment scale in atopic dermatitis validated in Europe. Allergy. 2011 Aug;66(8):1114-1121.
The Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) was developed by the University of Nottingham. It focuses on patients’ experiences with eczema. POEM evaluates eczema severity by how often specific symptoms occur.
Use the POEM scale to create a record of how many days or nights during the past week you were affected by each symptom.
How many days has your skin been itchy because of your eczema?
How many nights has your sleep been disturbed because of your eczema?
How many days has your skin been bleeding because of your eczema?
How many days has your skin been weeping or oozing clear fluid because of your eczema?
How many days has your skin been cracked because of your eczema?
How many days has your skin been flaking off because of your eczema?
How many days has your skin felt dry or rough because of your eczema?
REFERENCE: The Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure: Development and Initial Validation of a New Tool for Measuring Atopic Eczema Severity From the Patients' Perspective. Arch Dermatol. 2004;140:1513-1519.
This section has two activities that can help you uncover the impact atopic dermatitis has on your everyday life. We start with questions designed to see how you feel about controlling your symptoms. Then there’s a goal-setting section to help you identify things you’d like to work toward.
For the first section, select whether you agree or disagree with each statement.
I am satisfied with the way I manage my life with atopic dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis keeps me from doing what I want to do.
I know how to control my atopic dermatitis symptoms.
I wish living with atopic dermatitis was easier.
My atopic dermatitis symptoms affect many decisions I make in my life.
Fill in the blanks below to set a goal to work toward. When you choose your goal, be sure it’s specific. Having a specific plan can help you reach your goal.
For example, “I will moisturize after every shower or bath.”
Character limit 100
A small first step I can take is:
Character limit 195
Something that might get in my way is:
Character limit 195
I can work around it by:
Character limit 195
This scale, called the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), was developed by the Department of Dermatology of Cardiff University in 1994. It was the first assessment developed for measuring dermatology-specific, health-related quality of life. It’s been used for almost 40 different skin conditions in more than 20 countries.
The DLQI can help you further uncover the impact atopic dermatitis has on your everyday life. Indicate how much you were affected by atopic dermatitis over the last week.
How itchy, sore, painful or stinging has your skin been?
How embarrassed or self-conscious have you been because of your skin?
How much has your skin interfered with you going shopping or looking after your home or garden?
How much has your skin influenced the clothes you wear?
How much has your skin affected any social or leisure activities?
How much has your skin made it difficult for you to do any sport?
Has your skin prevented you from working or studying?
Over the last week how much has your skin been a problem at work or studying?
How much has your skin created problems with your partner or any of your close friends or relatives?
How much has your skin caused any sexual difficulties?
How much of a problem has the treatment for your skin been, for example by making your home messy, or by taking up time?
REFERENCE: Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI): A simple practical measure for routine clinical use. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 1994; 19: 210-216.
Here is your score from the assessment. They reflect how severe you said your symptoms are and how they affect your life. Be sure to discuss your results with your healthcare provider to confirm and evaluate your score.
0-27 | Mild |
28-56 | Moderate |
57-103.6 | Severe |
Not available.
Severity Assessment
not taken.
0-2 | Clear/Almost Clear |
3-7 | Mild |
8-16 | Moderate |
17-24 | Severe |
25-28 | Very Severe |
Not available.
Symptom Scale
not taken.
0-1 | No Effect |
2-5 | Small Effect |
6-10 | Moderate Effect |
11-20 | Very Large Effect |
21-30 | Extremely Large Effect |