{"id":311,"date":"2021-03-25T15:26:05","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T15:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hvcc-healthpsychology\/?post_type=chapter&p=311"},"modified":"2021-03-31T16:45:03","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T16:45:03","slug":"quality-of-life-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hvcc-healthpsychology\/chapter\/quality-of-life-healthcare\/","title":{"raw":"Quality of life (healthcare)","rendered":"Quality of life (healthcare)"},"content":{"raw":"In general,\u00a0quality of life<\/b>\u00a0(QoL<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0QOL<\/b>) is the perceived quality of an individual's daily life, that is, an assessment of their well-being or lack thereof. This includes all\u00a0emotional<\/a>,\u00a0social<\/a>\u00a0and physical aspects of the individual's life. In\u00a0health care<\/a>,\u00a0health-related quality of life<\/b>\u00a0(HRQoL) is an assessment of how the individual's well-being may be affected over time by a\u00a0disease<\/a>,\u00a0disability<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0disorder<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>[2]<\/a><\/sup>\r\n

Measurement<\/span><\/h2>\r\nEarly versions of healthcare-related quality of life measures referred to simple assessments of physical abilities by an external rater (for example, the patient is able to get up, eat and drink, and take care of personal hygiene without any help from others) or even to a single measurement (for example, the angle to which a limb could be flexed).\r\n\r\nThe current concept of health-related quality of life acknowledges that subjects put their actual situation in relation to their personal expectation.[3]<\/a><\/sup>The latter can vary over time, and react to external influences such as length and severity of illness, family support, etc. As with any situation involving multiple perspectives, patients' and physicians' rating of the same objective situation have been found to differ significantly. Consequently, health-related quality of life is now usually assessed using patient questionnaires. These are often multidimensional and cover physical,\u00a0social<\/a>,\u00a0emotional<\/a>,\u00a0cognitive<\/a>, work- or role-related, and possibly\u00a0spiritual<\/a>\u00a0aspects as well as a wide variety of disease related symptoms, therapy induced side effects, and even the financial impact of medical conditions.[4]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Although often used interchangeably with the measurement of health status, both health-related quality of life and health status measure different concepts.\r\n

Activities of daily living<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
Main article:\u00a0Activities of daily living<\/a><\/div>\r\nBecause health problems can interfere with even the most basic aspects of daily living (for example,\u00a0breathing<\/a>\u00a0comfortably, quality of\u00a0sleep<\/a>, eliminating wastes, feeding oneself, dressing, and others), the\u00a0health care<\/a>\u00a0professions have codified the concepts of\u00a0activities of daily living<\/a>\u00a0(ADLs) and\u00a0instrumental activities of daily living<\/a>\u00a0(IADLs). Such analysis and classification helps to at least partially\u00a0objectify<\/a>\u00a0quality of life. It cannot eliminate all\u00a0subjectivity<\/a>, but it can help improve measurement and\u00a0communication<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0quantifying<\/a>\u00a0and by reducing\u00a0ineffability<\/a>.\r\n

Examples<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
See also:\u00a0List of patient-reported quality of life surveys<\/a><\/div>\r\nSimilar to other\u00a0psychometric<\/a>\u00a0assessment tools, health-related quality of life questionnaires should meet certain quality criteria, most importantly with regard to their reliability and validity. Hundreds of validated health-related quality of life questionnaires have been developed, some of which are specific to various illnesses. The questionnaires can be generalized into two categories:\r\n\r\nGeneric instruments<\/i>\r\n