The Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure

Abstract

Atopic eczema currently affects around 5% to 20% of children worldwide.¹ The increasing prevalence of the disease has had a profound impact on hospital and community health care services, with significant amounts of resources being directed into research to improve our understanding of disease mechanisms, resulting in the recent development of new treatments such as topical tacrolimus and pimecrolimus. Valid and clinically meaningful outcome measures play a central role in both the interpretation of clinical trial results and the ongoing assessment of health care intervention and are essential to ensure that such research can be translated into maximum patient benefit.