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CLINICAL REPORT
Patients’ and Physicians’ Preferences for Systemic Psoriasis
Treatments: A Nationwide Comparative Discrete Choice Experiment
(PsoCompare)
Marthe-Lisa SCHAARSCHMIDT 1 , Raphael HERR 2 , Mandy GUTKNECHT 3 , Katharina WROBLEWSKA 4 , Sascha GERDES 5 , Michael
STICHERLING 6 , Matthias AUGUSTIN 3 and Wiebke K. PEITSCH 1,7
Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Mannheim, 2 Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine,
Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, 3 Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP),
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 4 Dermatological Practice Wroblewska, Spaichingen, 5 Department of Dermatology,
Psoriasis-Center, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, 6 Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Erlangen, Erlangen,
and 7 Department of Dermatology and Phlebology, Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany
1
Systemic antipsoriatic treatment options are increa-
sing rapidly. The aim of this nationwide discrete choi-
ce experiment was to compare patients’ (n = 222) and
physicians’ (n = 78) preferences for outcome and pro-
cess attributes of systemic antipsoriatics using Rela-
tive Importance Scores (RIS). Both groups considered
Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 90 (PASI 90) to be
most important (RIS 21.4 and 20.8, respectively). Mo-
reover, patients were highly concerned about mild and
severe adverse events (RIS = 18.2 and 14.2), physici-
ans about severe adverse events (RIS = 14.9) and cost
(RIS = 13.8). Compared to physicians, patients worried
more about mild adverse events and treatment loca-
tion, but less about cost and frequency of laboratory
tests. Physicians’ preferences were influenced by work
experience and percentage of biological prescr iptions,
patients’ preferences by age, disease duration and se-
verity. Older and less severely affected patients recrui-
ted via a patient organization focused more on safety,
but less on efficacy and time until response than did
patients from study centres. In conclusion, these diffe-
rences in trade-offs should be integrated into a shared
decision-making.
Key words: biologicals; conjoint analysis; discrete choice expe-
riment; preferences; psoriasis; systemic treatment.
Accepted Nov 2, 2017; Epub ahead of print Nov 7, 2017
Acta Derm Venereol 2018; 98: 200–205.
Corr: Wiebke K. Ludwig-Peitsch, Department of Dermatology and Phle-
bology, Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain, Landsberger Allee 49, DE-
10249 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]
P
soriasis has a prevalence of 2–3% in Northern
countries. Approximately 20% of patients have
moderate-to-severe psoriasis and require systemic treat-
ment. Traditional medications approved for this indica-
tion in Germany are acitretin, cyclosporine, fumaric acid
esters and methotrexate (1). Biologicals and apremilast
have substantially expanded the treatment repertoire in
the last decade. Biologicals are associated with a more
favourable risk-benefit profile, but also with higher medi-
cation costs than are traditional drugs (2–9). Therefore,
biologicals are mostly prescribed second- or third-line
doi: 10.2340/00015555-2834
Acta Derm Venereol 2018; 98: 200–205
in Germany, although interleukin 17 antagonists and
the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor adalimumab
have first-line approval. Several novel systemic drugs are
expected to become available soon (10–12).
Systemic antipsoriatics differ considerably from each
other in terms of efficacy, safety, adverse events (AE), ad-
ministration process, costs and monitoring requirements.
Due to the rapidly increasing number of options, several
medications may be suitable for an individual patient.
The choice of a specific drug depends on the physician’s
assessment, experience and prescription preferences.
However, the medication should also match the patient’s
preferences, which must be included to provide patient-
centred care (13, 14). Physicians can counsel patients
more appropriately if they understand their perspective.
They should be aware that their own perception and the
patients’ view may differ (14, 15) and that mismatch
between treatment attributes and patients’ preferences
can result in a vicious circle of low satisfaction, non-
adherence and suboptimal outcome, problems commonly
encountered among patients with psoriasis (16).
We recently performed discrete choice experiments
(DCE) to evaluate patient preferences for biologicals
and showed high preferences for safety and efficacy
(17). However, our previous study had a monocentric
design, did not address preferences for other systemic
treatments and did not consider physicians’ preferences.
The aim of the nationwide DCE presented here, the Pso-
Compare study, was to compare physicians’ and patients’
preferences for attributes of all systemic medications
that were either approved or in advanced development
for moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
METHODS
Participants
The study was conducted in Germany from 1 September 2015 to
31 August 2016. Patients were recruited in 2 ways. First, through
a call for participation published in the member magazine of the
largest German patient organization for psoriasis (Deutscher Pso-
riasis Bund e.V.). Secondly, 5 study centres (4 Dermatology De-
partments of University Hospitals and 1 dermatological practice)
enrolled patients during regular visits. All individuals aged ≥ 18
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license. www.medicaljournals.se/acta
Journal Compilation © 2018 Acta Dermato-Venereologica.