Protocol for a double-blinded randomised controlled trial and process evaluation of a digital psychotherapeutic app in Singapore to improve symptom burden in patients with dermatological problems

作者：Ellie Choi, Valencia Long, Phillip Phan, Liang Shen, Ziying Vanessa Lim, Mark Jean Aan Koh, Jia Yi Chua, Mayank Dalakoti, Cyrus S. H. Ho, Nisha Suyien Chandran, Nick Sevdalis, José M Valderas, Kean J. Hsu · 发表于：BMJ Open · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1136/bmjopen-2024-098266 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Dermatology and Skin Diseases、Psoriasis: Treatment and Pathogenesis、Digital Mental Health Interventions

INTRODUCTION: Chronic inflammatory skin diseases, despite low mortality, significantly impair quality of life (QoL). Up to 80% of patients with dermatological conditions experience severe itch and poor sleep, as well as related mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. The relationship between skin diseases and mental health highlights the challenges that doctors face in treating these conditions. Existing psychotherapeutics, such as mindfulness training, cognitive behavioural therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, are widely used and effective in the treatment of mental health illnesses. However, there is limited evidence on the application of such interventions in dermatology, and most mental health apps lack robust clinical evaluation. We report the design of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and implementation of a mobile app containing dermatology-specified psychotherapeutic strategies in reducing QoL burden. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: English-speaking patients aged 16 years and older with psoriasis, eczema or chronic urticaria will be recruited and randomised into the intervention arm (psychotherapeutic application) or active control group (Healthy365 app, a general wellness application managed by the Singapore Health Promotion Board). This allows a comparative assessment of app-usage-specific outcomes while preserving the blinding of all participants. The primary outcome is the change in the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) s...