INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis affects 0.1-3% of the world's population. It is a chronic multifactorial disease with a genetic basis and various triggering factors. In the Philippines, extrapolated data from 2004 reveals a 2% prevalence. Thus it is important to develop a database with psoriasis patients' demographics, disease characteristics, treatment and quality of life. Most institutions still rely on paper-based methods of recording patient data. This is prone to error and destruction. Further consolidation and analysis of this unsystematic data is problematic, making it difficult to assess real-time setbacks and develop programs. OBJECTIVE: To develop and assess the validity of a Psoriasis Questionnaire in the local setting, which will be further utilized towards developing a Psoriasis Registry. The data from this can in turn be used to generate a Psoriasis Guideline. METHODS: This is a multicenter study. The Questionnaire was developed from Psoriasis literature and worldwide registries, as well as local patient encounters. It was answered by Dermatologists and their patients. Cronbach's alpha (CA) was used to check for validity and internal consistency of the questionnaire. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION 124 questionnaires were accomplished. Each part of the questionnaire was assessed with CA. Some sections showed CA <0.70, indicating variability in the test response. To improve this, some modifications in the Questionnaire were recommended. The overall CA score however was 0.8, indicating that in totem the questionnaire is consistent and valid.
Philippines