Engagement and retention with remote monitoring in psoriasis: Findings from the mySkin study

Remote monitoring allows people to share updates about their health from home, so doctors, researchers and patients can track changes in real time. With advances in digital technology, this approach is becoming more common in both healthcare and research. Understanding who is more or less likely to stay involved over time helps design fairer and more inclusive health services and research studies.

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Researchers at King’s College London looked at data from the mySkin study, a UK-wide study of people with psoriasis. Participants completed online surveys about their health and wellbeing every three months for a year and had the option to upload photos of their skin.

Between June 2023 and November 2024, 864 people joined the mySkin study. Although more than half of the participants (53%) agreed to send photos, under half of them (41.7%) went on to do so. People with psoriasis on non-facial areas and those who were unemployed were more likely to submit photos.

Study participants became less engaged with the follow-up surveys over time: 62.9% completed the 3-month survey, 58.4% the 6-month survey, 52.7% the 9-month survey, and only 46.3% completed the final survey at 12 months. Older people, those who were unemployed, people who reported a mental health burden, and those with well-controlled psoriasis were more likely to stay in the study for the full year. Younger people and those with more severe psoriasis were more likely to drop out over time.

These findings show that not everyone engages with remote monitoring in the same way. Some people may need extra support to stay involved, so that remote monitoring can benefit everyone.

The full paper is available online at https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.70153

Written by Weiyu (Christina) Ye