A bespoke patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for genital dermatoses demonstrated significant improvements in follow-up patients compared to new patients, affirming efficacy of existing treatments while suggesting a necessity for greater psychological support.
Key Findings
Background
No specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) existed for genital dermatoses prior to this study.
Genital dermatoses significantly impact sexual health and psychosocial wellbeing.
A literature review of applicable existing PROMs was conducted to identify relevant validated questions.
14 pre-validated questions were selected from existing PROMs covering 3 domains: physical symptoms, quality-of-life, and mental health.
The absence of a condition-specific PROM motivated the development of a bespoke instrument for this population.
Methods
The newly developed PROM achieved a response rate of 77.1%, yielding 48 complete responses for analysis.
The overall response rate for the final PROM was 77.1%.
6 incomplete responses were excluded from analysis.
48 responses remained for final analysis after exclusions.
The PROM covered biopsychosocial concerns through 14 pre-validated questions across 3 domains.
Results
Follow-up patients showed a statistically significant reduction in average PROM scores compared to new patients.
Average scores decreased from 2.41 (new patients) to 2.05 (follow-up patients).
A lower score indicated better outcomes.
The reduction was statistically significant (p = 0.0002).
All 14 questions showed a decrease in score from new to follow-up patients.
Results
Follow-up patients demonstrated significant improvements in average pain scores compared to new patients.
Pain score improvement was identified as a notable finding among follow-up patients.
This improvement was described as significant within the results.
The pain domain was part of the physical symptoms domain of the PROM.
Improvement in physical wellbeing was observed across all questions from new to follow-up patient groups.
Conclusions
Results indicated that while physical wellbeing improved significantly in follow-up patients, there is a necessity for greater psychological support for those suffering from genital dermatoses.
Significant improvements in physical wellbeing affirmed the efficacy of existing treatments.
The findings suggested psychological support needs were not fully met by current care.
The PROM covered quality-of-life and mental health domains in addition to physical symptoms.
Authors concluded that PROMs are necessary for improving patient-centred care in this population.
What This Means
This research describes the development and pilot testing of a new questionnaire (called a patient-reported outcome measure, or PROM) specifically designed to capture how genital skin conditions affect patients' physical symptoms, quality of life, and mental health. Because no such tool previously existed for this group of conditions, researchers selected 14 validated questions from existing questionnaires in related fields and combined them into a single instrument. The questionnaire was completed by patients attending a clinic, both at their first visit and at follow-up appointments, allowing comparison of outcomes over time.
The study found that patients who had already received treatment (follow-up patients) reported meaningfully better scores across all 14 questions compared to patients attending for the first time, with the overall average score improving from 2.41 to 2.05 — a statistically significant difference. Pain in particular showed notable improvement, suggesting that current treatments are effective at addressing physical symptoms of genital dermatoses.
However, the findings also highlighted that psychological wellbeing and quality of life may not improve as readily as physical symptoms, pointing to a gap in current care. This research suggests that introducing structured patient questionnaires into routine clinical care for genital skin conditions could help clinicians better understand the full impact of these conditions on patients' lives, and that additional psychological support may be an important unmet need for this patient group.
Rajesh A, Maxwell E, Sarkane L, Eaves J, Azoba B, Sethi C. (2026). Developing a bespoke patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for genital dermatoses: A pilot service evaluation.. International journal of STD & AIDS. https://doi.org/10.1177/09564624251406029