Investigation of interobserver reliability of feline dermatitis prevalence and severity index (FEDESI) and visual analog scoring in cats with HEAD and neck dermatitis

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the inter-observer agreement of the scoring used in the classification of dermatologic lesions and evaluation of pruritus in cats. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 cats, belonging to different age ranges, both genders, and various races, with complaints of itching along with head and neck dermatitis, were evaluated. Visual analog scoring was performed by both the owner of the patients and the veterinarian, while FEDESI scoring was conducted solely by the veterinarians. Results: It was determined that there was a high interobserver agreement for FEDESI scoring, with a correlation coefficient of r=0.98, while GAS (Global Assessment Scale) showed a correlation coefficient of r=0.41. The within inter-class correlation coefficient was found to be 0.97 for FEDESI scoring and 0.93 for GAS scoring, indicating a high level of agreement. Conclusion: It was determined that when the evaluation of FEDESI and GAS scoring methods was performed by different observers, both scoring methods exhibited high correlation and agreement with each other.