Clinical assessment of skin phototypes: watch your words!

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State: Public
Version: Author's accepted manuscript
Serval ID
serval:BIB_C64F6BEE60A7
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Clinical assessment of skin phototypes: watch your words!
Journal
European journal of dermatology
Author(s)
Trakatelli M., Bylaite-Bucinskiene M., Correia O., Cozzio A., De Vries E., Medenica L., Nagore E., Paoli J., Stratigos A.J., Del Marmol V., Bulliard J.L.
ISSN
1952-4013 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1167-1122
Publication state
Published
Issued date
01/12/2017
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
27
Number
6
Pages
615-619
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Fitzpatrick skin phototype classification is widely used to assess risk factors for skin cancers. This skin type evaluation is easy to use in clinical practice but is not always applied as initially described, nor practiced in a standardised way. This can have implications on the results of relevant dermato-epidemiological studies. To demonstrate, in a large multinational setting, that the phrasing of questions on sun sensitivity can have a strong impact on the perception and reporting of skin phototype, as well as the importance of a standardised procedure for phototype assessment. Using data collected from 48,258 screenees of the Euromelanoma campaign in six European countries from 2009 to 2011, we analysed the impact of change in the question phrasing on phototype classification in each country. Changing the wording of a question to assess the phototype of a person also significantly influenced the classification of phototypes in different countries (p<0.001 for each country). The difference essentially corresponded to a shift towards a less sun-sensitive skin type when a shorter question that did not include skin colour description was used. The only exception was Portugal where phototype was not patient-assessed and classification shifted towards a more sun-sensitive phototype. Results were statistically significant and highly consistent, irrespective of gender. The phrasing of questions on skin type is important and substantially influences reporting. A standardized procedure to classify phototypes should be used in order to obtain comparable data between studies.

Keywords
Fitzpatrick skin phototype classification, country, phrasing, question, standardised procedure, sun sensitivity, wording
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
30/11/2017 19:23
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:41
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