LAUSR

BACKGROUND The impact of online care on patients' functional and psychological outcomes is critical to determine yet still unknown. OBJECTIVE To evaluate how a novel online health model that facilitates physician-patient collaboration compares with in-person care for improving psoriasis patients' functional status and mental health. METHODS This 12-month randomized controlled equivalency trial randomized psoriasis patients 1:1 to online or in-person care. Functional impairment and depression were assessed at baseline and at 3-month intervals using the 5-level EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-5L) and Patient Health Questionnare-9 (PHQ-9). RESULTS 296 patients were randomized to online or in-person groups. The between-group difference in overall improvement in EQ VAS (EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale) was -0.002 (95% CI -2.749, 2.745), falling within equivalence margin ±8. The between-group difference in overall improvement in EQ-5D-5L index was 0 (95% CI -0.003, 0.003), falling within equivalence margin ±0.1. The between-group difference in overall improvement in PHQ-9 was -0.33 (95% CI -1.20, 0.55), falling within equivalence margin ±3. LIMITATIONS Slightly different attrition rates between online and in-person arms (11% versus 9%), but no impact on outcomes. CONCLUSION The online health model was equivalent to in-person care for reducing functional impairment and depressive symptoms in psoriasis patients.