Uncovering the unmet needs among psoriasis patients in the Asia-Pacific region.

Studies on the psychosocial and emotional burden of psoriasis have been extensive; however, there is limited knowledge and awareness of patients' attitude and behavior towards psoriasis treatment. To understand psoriasis patients' attitude and behavior towards treatment of psoriasis, especially those treated with biologics, a multi-stage study qualitative and quantitative methodology was conducted among psoriasis patients. An online survey was conducted with 45 moderate-to-severe psoriasis patients each in Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan for 20 min. This was followed by qualitative in-depth interviews conducted among psoriasis patients in Australia (n = 3) and Japan (n = 2) for 60 min. All of the findings were workshopped with key opinion leaders and patient advisory groups to identify potential solutions addressing patients' unmet needs. Five common insights were identified across the region, highlighting patients' attitude and behavior towards psoriasis treatment, especially for those treated with biologics. These insights comprised the following: (i) one of the key factors driving patients' treatment choice included their ability to enjoy clear skin for longer period (68%); (ii) bio-maintenance patients had a higher expectation (4.9 months) of how long their skin could stay clear, compared to their pre-biologics initiation days (2.9 months); (iii) once a good response is achieved, bio-maintenance patients were more concerned about symptoms returning (44%) than development of side-effects (19%); (iv) bio-maintenance patients felt psychologically and physically affected during flare-ups despite being on more efficacious treatment; and (v) bio-maintenance patients still felt they were at risk of flare-ups (4.5/7), almost similar risk perception as non-biologics patients (4.9/7). Findings from this study showed that psoriasis patients look for treatment with the least risk of flare-ups so that they were able to enjoy clear skin for a long time.

Elevating the role of carers in rheumatoid arthritis management in the Asia-Pacific region.

AIM: Carers may offer valuable insight into the true health status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This multinational, multi-stakeholder, exploratory study in Australia, China and Japan aimed to enrich our understanding of the role and potential impact of carers on RA management. METHOD: This study used a 2-phase sequential mixed methods approach involving 3 key stakeholder groups: rheumatologists, RA patients and carers. The first phase involved an in-depth qualitative exploratory survey (n = 30), which informed the development of the subsequent quantitative validation survey (n = 908). In both phases, patients and carers provided self-assessments of disease and support parameters. RESULTS: In the qualitative phase, patients usually understated the amount of physical support required, compared to carers. Rheumatologists underestimated the amount of physical and emotional care required, compared to carers and patients; however, in the quantitative phase, rheumatologists overestimated the level of support provided by carers. Levels of support provided by carers increased as disease severity increased. Active participation of carers in clinical consultations and treatment decision-making was deemed important by 55% of all patients and 82% of all carers. All stakeholders believed carers' insights into the physical and emotional conditions of patients were useful and should be considered in clinical decision-making. Over 95% of rheumatologists reported soliciting input from the carer. CONCLUSION: Carers provide valuable input that can give clinicians greater insight into the patients' physical and emotional states, and treatment adherence. Development of standardized carer-reported outcomes that correlate with patient-reported outcomes and clinical parameters will ensure clinical meaningfulness and external validity.