Dermatology
Quality of life
The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is a 10-item self-administered questionnaire designed to measure the impact of a skin condition on an adult's daily life. It covers the last seven days and assesses symptoms, feelings, daily activities, leisure, work/school, personal relationships, and treatment. Its score ranges from 0 to 30: the higher the score, the greater the reported impact.
Number of questions
10 items
Approximate duration
≈ 2 minutes
Population
adults aged 16 and over
Modality
Self-administered questionnaire
Terms of contract
Self-administered questionnaire for adults aged 16 and over, simply handed to the patient to complete on their own in 1 to 2 minutes, covering the past 7 days. A single missing answer is scored as 0; if more are missing, the score is not calculated. Do not administer it more frequently than the recall period, nor alter its wording, format, or layout.
Score interpretationDLQI
Sum of the 10 items scored from 0 to 3 (specific rules apply for question 7 and the "not relevant" option); total score from 0 to 30. In the official overall calculation, a single missing answer is scored 0, the same as "not relevant"; if two or more answers are missing, no overall score is calculated.
Total score
First reading
0
to
1
No effect on the patient's life.
2
to
5
Low impact on the patient's life.
6
to
10
Moderate effect on the patient's life.
11
to
20
Very large effect on patient's life.
21
to
30
Extremely important effect on the patient's life.
0–1: no effect; 2–5: small effect; 6–10: moderate effect; 11–20: very large effect; 21–30: extremely large effect.
The DLQI measures the impact on quality of life and not the objective clinical severity of the skin disease.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the DLQI for?
How often can it be repeated?
What are its limitations?
Sources and references
Cardiff University
Finlay AY, Khan GK, Clin Exp Dermatol, 1994
In practice
Full name
Dermatology Life Quality Index
Method
Self-administered questionnaire
Language
French
Authors
Cardiff University
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