Treatment Goals, Expectations, and Satisfaction Among Psoriasis Patients in Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that has substantial psychological consequences. Understanding treatment goals and expectations from the patient's perspective is critical to enhancing patient outcomes. However, evidence on Thai patients with psoriasis is limited.

Objectives: To investigate the treatment goals, satisfaction levels, and expectations of Thai psoriasis patients to provide insights for personalized care.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 116 psoriasis patients attending the outpatient psoriasis clinic at Siriraj Hospital from December 2023 to December 2024. Data on treatment goals, satisfaction, and expectations were collected.

Results: The most common reported treatment goal was achieving clearer skin (49.1%), followed by eliminating itching or pain (21.6%), reducing scaling (15.5%), and boosting confidence (12.9%). Overall, 73.3% of patients were very satisfied with their treatment, with significantly associated with disease severity (p=0.029). Patients with mild psoriasis reported higher satisfaction (83.1%) than severe psoriasis (57.6%). Before treatment, 31.9% of patients expected complete psoriasis clearance, but during therapy, only 9.5% considered complete clearance essential, indicating a drop in expectations. The top three regions where patients desired to see improvement were the extremities, head, and trunk.

Conclusion: Thai psoriasis patients prioritize clearer skin, itch alleviation, and increased confidence as primary treatment goals. While many initially expected complete clearances, their expectations shifted over time as they realized that entire lesion clearance was not always possible. Disease severity has a considerable influence on satisfaction, highlighting the importance for effective treatment.