GRIDD Study

GlobalSkin has successfully concluded its Global Research on the Impact of Dermatological Diseases (GRIDD) Study, a novel patient-led research initiative which it launched on June 5, 2023 in collaboration with Cardiff University (UK) and University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany).

The GRIDD Study gathered global data about the real impact of conditions of the skin, hair, nails, and mucosa. The objective of collecting these insights is to help reshape global perspectives on dermatological diseases, stimulate research efforts, optimize healthcare system spending, and inform future policies for improved patient outcomes. At the heart of the study was the new Patient-Reported Impact of Dermatological Diseases (PRIDD) measure, a tool we developed with more than 6000 patients over the past five years to capture and quantify patient experiences.

GlobalSkin engaged thousands of dermatology patients from around the globe in the online GRIDD Study. Some participants were also asked to complete a follow-up survey six weeks later for measure validation purposes. The survey was available in 17 languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (simplified), English, French, Dutch, Danish, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese. GlobalSkin created resources in each of these languages to assist patient organizations and dermatology stakeholders in spreading news about the study within their respective networks.

With the support of our Members and GlobalSkin’s wider network, the GRIDD Study collected responses from 4,118 individuals spanning 96 countries and across 102 skin disease areas. This level of patient inclusion is unprecedented in dermatology! Among the study participants, psoriasis emerged as the condition with the most responses, followed by Lichen Sclerosus, Atopic Eczema, and Hidradenitis Suppurativa . The countries with the most responses were the US, Germany, and the UK. We saw excellent representation across all six World Health Organization regions. More details and statistics on disease and country-specific participation can be found below.

By sharing their experiences through the study, patients will help to show clinicians, researchers, and policymakers the true impact of living with dermatological conditions. The accumulated data is poised to support our calls for access to care, improved treatment options, and increased affordability of medicines for dermatology patients on a global scale.

The GRIDD Research Team is now analyzing the data and extracting insights from the Study to support the development of articles that will be published in dermatology journals. These publications will help demonstrate the validity of PRIDD and the data collected. This will enhance the credibility of the dermatology community’s advocacy efforts to further promote patient-centric approaches in decision-making spheres, and eventually improve the lives of individuals living with the stigma, mental health impacts, and burdensome aspects of skin conditions worldwide.

GlobalSkin sincerely thanks all patients who participated in the GRIDD Study, as well as its many member organizations whose support played a crucial role throughout the project. More updates on the GRIDD Study will follow in the months ahead.

The Global Research on the Impact of Dermatological Diseases (GRIDD) project is the first global patient impact project in the history of dermatology. It aims to collect global data on the impact of dermatological diseases directly from patients.

The GRIDD data will support local, national, and international advocacy work for more research, better treatments, and healthcare policies, and, ultimately, will improve the lives of dermatology patients. For the first time, dermatology patients around the world and from all disease types will contribute to a dataset that measures the true impact of living with their diseases.

The benefits to your patient organization include: 

• Your organization will have data insights specifc to your disease area in your region, this will increase your credibility when you take on advocacy activites with policy makers and payers
• Your organization will have credible data points that can help to raise awareness for your diesease in the media
• You can increase fundraising by having data to show the impact on your dermatology patient community  

To learn more, please watch the GRIDD presentation on our YouTube Channel. GlobalSkin hosted a webinar to help explain the psychometric testing in more detail - watch the recording here. 

Together, we will strengthen the voice of patients through data! 

Participants who take the survey will be helping to measure, validate and confirm the very real and difficult challenges faced by dermatology patients.

The data we collect will empower our community with disease impact evidence that will help us advocate for improved care, better treatment options, and more affordable medicines.   

Watch the Patient Testimonial Video to learn Why GRIDD Matters!