Questionnaires to assess chronic itch: a consensus paper of the special interest group of the International Forum on the Study of Itch

Abstract

Chronic itch affects millions of patients worldwide and has a significant impact on quality of life. The assessment of itch and its associated effects is a significant component of clinical practice in itch management. Despite itch being a common complaint, there are few studies describing the use of structured questionnaires for evaluation and measurement of itch and its sensory and affective dimensions. The International Society of the Study of Itch (IFSI) has recently provided invaluable data on the use of visual analogue scales as an assessment tool for itch. However, it is clear that additional tools are needed to better assess the different dimensions of chronic itch and better tailor management. With this goal in mind, a Special Interest Group was initiated by members of IFSI to determine which of the various psychometric properties of itch questionnaires offer the greatest utility in the evaluation of chronic itch. This first consensus paper addresses what domains and structure of itch questionnaires need to be implemented to better assess chronic itch and guide therapy.